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Futuristic Beeping Heart
- Thread starter Viper
- Start date
Viper
One Thousand Club
“God damn it, this thing weighs a fucking ton!” One of the men shouted as he struggled with the metal husk that weighted far more than it looked like it should. “Get over here and help me before I blow my back out!”
The night was dark, almost pitch black in the alleyway that these four men were currently skulking in. They could see their target just fine though. He was, after all, sparking from several parts of his body and his glowing blue eyes continued to blink up at the men without expression or pain. His eyes lazily followed the four men as they finally got a good hold on his body, his legs that had been severely bent by several blows of a sledge hammer causing the most issues due to their habit of sparking and violently twitching without warning. Before long though, the five of them were moving slowly down the alley.
“You know, I thought we accepted a job to get rid of a person not whatever this thing is.” The same man from earlier said in a harsh whisper, remembering that they were probably being tracked down by now. “They told us to take out Dorian Douglas’s bodyguard, they didn't say that the bodyguard was a freaking robot! Damn, I mean, if the fucker who hired us didn't say to hit him at the base of his neck first who knows what this thing would be doing to us right now! I mean, look at him, half taken apart and he is still just blinking at us….” He paused, making eye contact with the far too humanoid PET, “Okay, he’s staring at me now. Make him stop.”
“He’s lookin’ at you because you won’t shut up.” One of the other men said with an angry grunt, “It doesn't matter if he is human or not, we were hired to take out the bodyguard and that is what we did. Now we need to get rid of the ‘body’, deliver proof of his ‘death’, get paid, and blow this city before anyone knows that it was us who did it. And the sooner you shut up, the sooner we can do that.”
There was finally a moment of silence in the group, the only sound being the functioning metal whirring and occasionally beep. “Okay, one more thing.” The talkative man said, receiving a loud groan from everyone else. “No, no just hear me out. This guy looks pretty high tech, right? And it’s safe to assume that it was Dorian who made him, right? I mean, it’s like anything like this is in stores, and who else has enough money to make this thing? Well anyway, who's to say that all of Dorians other bodyguards are not robots too! If he finds out that this thing is missing he is going to send one of his other guards after us and we won’t be able to get the jump on them like we did this one.” The other men were listening for once, so the talkative one continued, “Those things could be weaponized and we got lucky that this one did not have a chance to hit back, we won’t get lucky again and I don’t know about you boys, but I like my skull not bashed in by metal fists. I say that we take out this things insides, throw him in the nearest dumpster we can find, and book it out of here before Dorians guardbots come for us. The dumpster will incinerate anything inside of it before we can even get out of town. The guy's dead and we don’t get killed by robots. Win win for everyone!”
There was silence for a beat before one of the men who had not spoken yet nodded his head, “I agree with Jett. It’s too risky to keep this thing on us for much longer, he’s so heavy that by the time we get to the target location the sun will be up or one of the bodyguards will have found us. Besides, after the beating we gave him even after he went down, I don’t think he is going anywhere. Dumping him is the best idea.” It wasn't long until the third man agreed as well, leaving the angry one outvoted and forced to comply.
Although this was not his prefered plan, the angry one took initiative. After setting the robot down, they looked at the base of his neck which was collapsed inward, revealing the reason why they were told to hit this spot first. “I think this is his mainframe or something? No wonder the moment we hit him here he stopped moving, we probably shattered whatever the hell his motor functions have go through to make him go. So if I…” He trailed off as he started pushing and poking at random buttons, wires, and displays that were visible until, finally, anything that was ejectable was removed and the deletion process was underway. “Okay done, we will give these chips to the employer as proof of his death. Now throw him in the dumpster and let's go get our money.”
And sure enough, after several more moments of grunts and moans, the heavy robot PET was in the dumpster and the four hitmen were running off. Unknown to the criminals however, during the process of moving him, they had canceled the detection process so not everything was wiped away. And, in their frenzy to flee, they had not noticed that even in the confines of the dumpster, his eyes were still glowing a faint blue and his body was still trying to function like normal, beeping and whirring on and off every few minutes.
The PET spent the night in the reeking dumpster, not conscious but his eyes open and frozen in place now. Even if the incinerator turned on, it would not be hot enough to melt his body down on the first try due to the expensive material he was built with. The worse that would happen is that his skin, or at least the skin that was actually pressed up against the edges, would fry off. Tae would stay intact.
The night was dark, almost pitch black in the alleyway that these four men were currently skulking in. They could see their target just fine though. He was, after all, sparking from several parts of his body and his glowing blue eyes continued to blink up at the men without expression or pain. His eyes lazily followed the four men as they finally got a good hold on his body, his legs that had been severely bent by several blows of a sledge hammer causing the most issues due to their habit of sparking and violently twitching without warning. Before long though, the five of them were moving slowly down the alley.
“You know, I thought we accepted a job to get rid of a person not whatever this thing is.” The same man from earlier said in a harsh whisper, remembering that they were probably being tracked down by now. “They told us to take out Dorian Douglas’s bodyguard, they didn't say that the bodyguard was a freaking robot! Damn, I mean, if the fucker who hired us didn't say to hit him at the base of his neck first who knows what this thing would be doing to us right now! I mean, look at him, half taken apart and he is still just blinking at us….” He paused, making eye contact with the far too humanoid PET, “Okay, he’s staring at me now. Make him stop.”
“He’s lookin’ at you because you won’t shut up.” One of the other men said with an angry grunt, “It doesn't matter if he is human or not, we were hired to take out the bodyguard and that is what we did. Now we need to get rid of the ‘body’, deliver proof of his ‘death’, get paid, and blow this city before anyone knows that it was us who did it. And the sooner you shut up, the sooner we can do that.”
There was finally a moment of silence in the group, the only sound being the functioning metal whirring and occasionally beep. “Okay, one more thing.” The talkative man said, receiving a loud groan from everyone else. “No, no just hear me out. This guy looks pretty high tech, right? And it’s safe to assume that it was Dorian who made him, right? I mean, it’s like anything like this is in stores, and who else has enough money to make this thing? Well anyway, who's to say that all of Dorians other bodyguards are not robots too! If he finds out that this thing is missing he is going to send one of his other guards after us and we won’t be able to get the jump on them like we did this one.” The other men were listening for once, so the talkative one continued, “Those things could be weaponized and we got lucky that this one did not have a chance to hit back, we won’t get lucky again and I don’t know about you boys, but I like my skull not bashed in by metal fists. I say that we take out this things insides, throw him in the nearest dumpster we can find, and book it out of here before Dorians guardbots come for us. The dumpster will incinerate anything inside of it before we can even get out of town. The guy's dead and we don’t get killed by robots. Win win for everyone!”
There was silence for a beat before one of the men who had not spoken yet nodded his head, “I agree with Jett. It’s too risky to keep this thing on us for much longer, he’s so heavy that by the time we get to the target location the sun will be up or one of the bodyguards will have found us. Besides, after the beating we gave him even after he went down, I don’t think he is going anywhere. Dumping him is the best idea.” It wasn't long until the third man agreed as well, leaving the angry one outvoted and forced to comply.
Although this was not his prefered plan, the angry one took initiative. After setting the robot down, they looked at the base of his neck which was collapsed inward, revealing the reason why they were told to hit this spot first. “I think this is his mainframe or something? No wonder the moment we hit him here he stopped moving, we probably shattered whatever the hell his motor functions have go through to make him go. So if I…” He trailed off as he started pushing and poking at random buttons, wires, and displays that were visible until, finally, anything that was ejectable was removed and the deletion process was underway. “Okay done, we will give these chips to the employer as proof of his death. Now throw him in the dumpster and let's go get our money.”
And sure enough, after several more moments of grunts and moans, the heavy robot PET was in the dumpster and the four hitmen were running off. Unknown to the criminals however, during the process of moving him, they had canceled the detection process so not everything was wiped away. And, in their frenzy to flee, they had not noticed that even in the confines of the dumpster, his eyes were still glowing a faint blue and his body was still trying to function like normal, beeping and whirring on and off every few minutes.
The PET spent the night in the reeking dumpster, not conscious but his eyes open and frozen in place now. Even if the incinerator turned on, it would not be hot enough to melt his body down on the first try due to the expensive material he was built with. The worse that would happen is that his skin, or at least the skin that was actually pressed up against the edges, would fry off. Tae would stay intact.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Phoenix didn't mind closing. At least not anymore. At first she hadn't been a big fan of learning to become nocturnal - not good for the skin, you know - but the tips were usually better at night and, well, money was sort of her life's purpose nowadays. Still, she was naturally happy to be finishing up. Tonight had been especially busy at the club, even by typical Friday night standards. This was thanks to some huge group of college kids who decided to flood in to celebrate... well, it was either someone's birthday, the end of mid-terms, or some asshole professor being fired. She never ended up figuring out what the actual story was before everyone got too drunk and rowdy to coherently respond to her casual inquiries.
Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. The music had stopped, the last of the wasted individuals were sent on their way, and they were just about cleaned up. The dark-haired woman's last chore was to haul the garbage out to the dumpster and turn on the incinerator. Far from the most glamorous task, but she had learned to deal with this aspect of her job, too. She had started to joke that lugging the heavy trash bags off the cart and into the bin was her workout for the night. Not only that, but it also gave her a chance to have a smoke and unwind from a chaotic or stressful shift, when she needed to.
"Alright, I'll be back in five," she called to her coworkers as she put on a pair of gloves. After hearing her colleagues acknowledge her words, she placed her hands on the trash trolley and began to push it out the back door. The mountain of black bags was piled quite high today, thanks to the volume of customers they had tonight. Phoenix leaned into it as she pushed, putting quite a fair bit of her own weight into moving the cart to compensate for her lack of innate strength. Still, she moved along at a good pace out the door and into the alley. Once her gaze adjusted to the darkness, she peered around cautiously. The club was in a half-decent part of town so the streets were usually pretty quiet after a certain hour, and her destination wasn't far from the building's back door. But it never hurt to be too careful. Should anything happen, she wasn't exactly intimidating, and throwing a bag of trash would be her only method of self-defense - a load of good that'd do her.
Thankfully, this was another uneventful trip to the dumpster for Phoenix. As she stopped the cart in front of it, she switched over to breathing through slightly parted lips rather than her nose. The smell was the only thing she hadn't been able to get used to. Eager to complete her chore, she promptly lugged off a bag from the top of the pile. The woman let it down onto the ground for a moment before she picked it up again and tossed it into the open dumpster, the bag landing with a clatter within it. She repeated this process, but stopped after the third bag when a strange beeping reached her ears. Frowning, she looked around but saw no one.
Just my imagination, I guess, she thought as she continued on, steadily depleting the number of bags. However, after a minute or so, she heard the beeping again, as well as a distinctly mechanical sound. Now I know I didn't imagine that one. With her green eyes narrowed suspiciously, she dropped the bag of garbage in her hand and cautiously walked around the large metal bin in search of the source. When Phoenix found nothing, she decided that it must be something some asswipe had thrown inside. While she considered simply carrying on with her task and incinerating whatever had been tossed in, curiosity got the better of her. The noise reminded of her days at The PET Vet, a PET repair shop where she saw many robots who made similar sounds when they malfunctioned.
Of course, it could also be anything else, but now she had to see just what it was - and if she was right or not. Besides, if it was a PET, perhaps she could fix it up and sell it. Or keep it for herself, if it was nice enough. Phoenix had never bothered to save up for one, what with her other expenses and purchases, but she supposed it'd only be a matter of time before she had to get one.
Since the dumpster was over six feet high, she moved enough bags off the cart so she could push it close to the bin. Carefully, the woman placed her hands on the rim of the dumpster, climbed onto the cart, and peered over the edge.
Inside, a pair of glowing blue eyes peered back.
Phoenix screamed and jumped off the cart with a thump, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "What the fuck, what the fuck," she swore under her breath, her shoulders heaving as her respiration quickened. As she stood there in a brief shock, slowly composing herself again, a blonde man jogged out from inside the club.
"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked as he came up to her, looking around as he did. A redheaded woman, and two, tall, muscular men quickly followed. Her coworkers gathered around her, concern and confusion written all over their faces.
"There's..." Someone? "... something in there." Phoenix said as she looked to each person standing around her. As the puzzlement deepened in their expressions, she took a deep breath and climbed back onto the cart again to take another look and make sure she wasn't just imagining things. And of course, she wasn't. An unmistakably human face stared up at her with blank, weakly illuminated eyes. But there was no expression and no movement in its eyes. Phoenix could see its neck and some parts of an arm beneath several garbage bags, but most of the body - if there was anything else - was underneath the trash she had unceremoniously chucked onto it.
Around her, her colleagues began to peer in and have similar reactions to seeing this strange human lying there. "What the hell is that?" the other woman asked, her eyes wide. "Who put that there?"
"That's messed up, dude," one of the tall men said plainly, shaking his head as he took a step away. There was a brief silence amongst the group until the blonde man spoke up.
"Well... we're gonna take it out, right?" he said, his face uneasy but his voice filled with excitement.
"Are you nuts? We don't know what it is, Dan," the redhead said, bewildered. "What if it's... it's..."
Dan held out his hands and arched an eyebrow. "What if it's what? A serial killer? Godzilla? Secretly your mom? Come on, aren't you curious? Besides, we can't leave it in there! What if we turn on the incinerator and it starts screaming? What if we burn that thing to death?"
The other muscular man chimed in. "Or it explodes?"
Dan nodded. "Yeah, Wendy, what if it explodes? Could you really live with yourself then?"
After a brief pause, Wendy scoffed. "Fine! But I am not helping." She folded her arms across her chest and stepped back.
A short conversation about who would go into the dumpster followed, in which Dan was unanimously nominated due to his enthusiasm. The man, after some prodding, clambered into the dumpster and began to clear the bags off the strange humanoid lying there. He unsteadily bent down amidst the trash and wrapped his arms around its torso, only to find he was incapable of lifting him more than a few inches up. After a bit more discussion (i.e., arguments), both of the taller men climbed in to help Dan. All three managed to get the heavy body partway over the edge of the dumpster, at which point one of them jumped out to help pull and bring it to the ground with the help of the two women.
Once everyone made their way out of the dumpster and the trash had been placed into it as planned, the five lifted the robot onto the trolley and gathered around it to get a closer look. "Hello there? Anyone in there?" Dan said to it, poking its cheek gently.
As they waited in silence to see if there was any reaction, Phoenix pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the dumpster. With a quiet sigh, she lit a cigarette and took a long drag. If there was ever a time she needed to unwind a little, it was now.
Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. The music had stopped, the last of the wasted individuals were sent on their way, and they were just about cleaned up. The dark-haired woman's last chore was to haul the garbage out to the dumpster and turn on the incinerator. Far from the most glamorous task, but she had learned to deal with this aspect of her job, too. She had started to joke that lugging the heavy trash bags off the cart and into the bin was her workout for the night. Not only that, but it also gave her a chance to have a smoke and unwind from a chaotic or stressful shift, when she needed to.
"Alright, I'll be back in five," she called to her coworkers as she put on a pair of gloves. After hearing her colleagues acknowledge her words, she placed her hands on the trash trolley and began to push it out the back door. The mountain of black bags was piled quite high today, thanks to the volume of customers they had tonight. Phoenix leaned into it as she pushed, putting quite a fair bit of her own weight into moving the cart to compensate for her lack of innate strength. Still, she moved along at a good pace out the door and into the alley. Once her gaze adjusted to the darkness, she peered around cautiously. The club was in a half-decent part of town so the streets were usually pretty quiet after a certain hour, and her destination wasn't far from the building's back door. But it never hurt to be too careful. Should anything happen, she wasn't exactly intimidating, and throwing a bag of trash would be her only method of self-defense - a load of good that'd do her.
Thankfully, this was another uneventful trip to the dumpster for Phoenix. As she stopped the cart in front of it, she switched over to breathing through slightly parted lips rather than her nose. The smell was the only thing she hadn't been able to get used to. Eager to complete her chore, she promptly lugged off a bag from the top of the pile. The woman let it down onto the ground for a moment before she picked it up again and tossed it into the open dumpster, the bag landing with a clatter within it. She repeated this process, but stopped after the third bag when a strange beeping reached her ears. Frowning, she looked around but saw no one.
Just my imagination, I guess, she thought as she continued on, steadily depleting the number of bags. However, after a minute or so, she heard the beeping again, as well as a distinctly mechanical sound. Now I know I didn't imagine that one. With her green eyes narrowed suspiciously, she dropped the bag of garbage in her hand and cautiously walked around the large metal bin in search of the source. When Phoenix found nothing, she decided that it must be something some asswipe had thrown inside. While she considered simply carrying on with her task and incinerating whatever had been tossed in, curiosity got the better of her. The noise reminded of her days at The PET Vet, a PET repair shop where she saw many robots who made similar sounds when they malfunctioned.
Of course, it could also be anything else, but now she had to see just what it was - and if she was right or not. Besides, if it was a PET, perhaps she could fix it up and sell it. Or keep it for herself, if it was nice enough. Phoenix had never bothered to save up for one, what with her other expenses and purchases, but she supposed it'd only be a matter of time before she had to get one.
Since the dumpster was over six feet high, she moved enough bags off the cart so she could push it close to the bin. Carefully, the woman placed her hands on the rim of the dumpster, climbed onto the cart, and peered over the edge.
Inside, a pair of glowing blue eyes peered back.
Phoenix screamed and jumped off the cart with a thump, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "What the fuck, what the fuck," she swore under her breath, her shoulders heaving as her respiration quickened. As she stood there in a brief shock, slowly composing herself again, a blonde man jogged out from inside the club.
"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked as he came up to her, looking around as he did. A redheaded woman, and two, tall, muscular men quickly followed. Her coworkers gathered around her, concern and confusion written all over their faces.
"There's..." Someone? "... something in there." Phoenix said as she looked to each person standing around her. As the puzzlement deepened in their expressions, she took a deep breath and climbed back onto the cart again to take another look and make sure she wasn't just imagining things. And of course, she wasn't. An unmistakably human face stared up at her with blank, weakly illuminated eyes. But there was no expression and no movement in its eyes. Phoenix could see its neck and some parts of an arm beneath several garbage bags, but most of the body - if there was anything else - was underneath the trash she had unceremoniously chucked onto it.
Around her, her colleagues began to peer in and have similar reactions to seeing this strange human lying there. "What the hell is that?" the other woman asked, her eyes wide. "Who put that there?"
"That's messed up, dude," one of the tall men said plainly, shaking his head as he took a step away. There was a brief silence amongst the group until the blonde man spoke up.
"Well... we're gonna take it out, right?" he said, his face uneasy but his voice filled with excitement.
"Are you nuts? We don't know what it is, Dan," the redhead said, bewildered. "What if it's... it's..."
Dan held out his hands and arched an eyebrow. "What if it's what? A serial killer? Godzilla? Secretly your mom? Come on, aren't you curious? Besides, we can't leave it in there! What if we turn on the incinerator and it starts screaming? What if we burn that thing to death?"
The other muscular man chimed in. "Or it explodes?"
Dan nodded. "Yeah, Wendy, what if it explodes? Could you really live with yourself then?"
After a brief pause, Wendy scoffed. "Fine! But I am not helping." She folded her arms across her chest and stepped back.
A short conversation about who would go into the dumpster followed, in which Dan was unanimously nominated due to his enthusiasm. The man, after some prodding, clambered into the dumpster and began to clear the bags off the strange humanoid lying there. He unsteadily bent down amidst the trash and wrapped his arms around its torso, only to find he was incapable of lifting him more than a few inches up. After a bit more discussion (i.e., arguments), both of the taller men climbed in to help Dan. All three managed to get the heavy body partway over the edge of the dumpster, at which point one of them jumped out to help pull and bring it to the ground with the help of the two women.
Once everyone made their way out of the dumpster and the trash had been placed into it as planned, the five lifted the robot onto the trolley and gathered around it to get a closer look. "Hello there? Anyone in there?" Dan said to it, poking its cheek gently.
As they waited in silence to see if there was any reaction, Phoenix pulled off her gloves and tossed them into the dumpster. With a quiet sigh, she lit a cigarette and took a long drag. If there was ever a time she needed to unwind a little, it was now.
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Viper
One Thousand Club
When turned off or resting, PET programs do not think or process anything that is happening to them. They have no concept of reality or time. They are, for all intent and purposes, dead during that time. So Tae had no recognition of his time within the incinerator, only being thrown in there. His consciousness returned however at a vocal and physical command. Most PETs had a button or switch, a handful could turn on and off due to someone telling them to do just that, but Tae had a more developed mind. He looks human and therefore had to react as a human would or else his cover would be blown. So besides the basic ‘turn on/off’ command, he also would always boot up to the words ‘hello’, ‘Tae’ or ‘help’, as well as any extremely loud sound.
So when the man poked his cheek and said one of the key phrases, Tae more or less returned to consciousness. His eyes which had only been dimly glowing blue before flashed to life in rapid bursts as if it was trying to stay lit but could not, the pupils quickly swerving towards the man who had poked him, gaze locked on. Now that he was turned on, his full power grid was as well, making his leg spark and twitch has he tried to move.
“Y-y-ye-ess.” Tae stuttered out, answering the question to the best of his ability despite the damages. He was ‘in there’. His mouth itself may have been fine physically, but his voice box and verbal skills were a touch scrambled. What was left of his programming, what had not been removed or crushed under the neck blow from before, still dictated that he serve his master even if he was half broken. In fact, Tae would destroy himself before he let his master die. Only with no master in his data banks, that left him forced to serve and sacrifice himself for any human who gave a command. “I-I am Tae. P-p-pleasure to m-eee-t you, sir-r-r. How --- I help you?”
At this point Tae tried to get up his half crushed leg sparking from where the wires were showing as well as making a painful grating noise as whatever was inside of his leg scratched across some other piece of metal inside his leg. It was manners to stand when greeting someone after all. Tae quickly realized this was not going to work though and instead tried to move his arms. His right hand responded, twisting into a fist a few times, but the full arm did nothing more swing. His left arm and hand though was just fine, perfect except for some missing skin. Tae without problem reached up and picked a few pieces of trash out of his hair, attempting to smooth his hair down as he stared down at his leg and right arm in thought and confusion. It’s not that he did not understand what was wrong, he was clearly broken, but why, how and what was needed to repair him?
“I apolo-apologize for my current s-s-state.” Tae continued politely, “ I will-will see what I can do. Please hold while I-I-I perform a system kryss av.” The foreign word came out fluently and Tae did not try to correct himself, not realizing he had switched languages. Instead he fell silent and the constant hum that had been emanating from his body increased in volume. Tae proceeded to quietly run a scan over himself, checking everything from balance, to bio metrics, to overall configuration. “System check comp-le-le-lete.”
Tae proceeded to ramble off what his damages were, a complete breakdown and self analysis all in the matter of minutes. Missing memory chip, water repellent coverage missing or ripped (skin), vocal box out of place which was causing his voice to have the robotic/mechanical tone, his owner registrar had been deleted and needed to be resubmitted, etc etc. He then proceeded to name off what is functioning, his sensory equipment (sight, touch, hearing), his cooling regulations, and his ability to connect to the internet, etc etc. “Immediate repair-r-rs are recommended. Emergency maintenance will p-p-roceed in ten seconds.”
Although he had been directed to do none of this, not the system check or the emergency maintenance, Tae knew that he was of no use to the humans as he was so he acted accordingly. Tae blinked for the first time in what seemed like forever as he examined his highly crushed leg. He reached out to it, shoving a few of his fingers into the hole where most of the sparks were coming from. He then proceeded to bend his own body back into shape, either implying that he was made out of fragile material or that his arm had more strength than it looked. His leg was far from smooth by the time he was done but now it at least looked like a leg, and after he messed with some of the wires until none were sticking out anymore, the sparks had stopped too.
The robot was… self repairing. There have been times that other PETs have helped a human repair another PET, but there was always a human to give directions. Tae did not. If he had hammers, pliers, and other such tools he may have done more than just uncrunch his legs until they were straight, albeit more fragile than they should have been. The leg issue was obvious when Tae proceeded to actually lift himself up into a standing position only to fall back down in a very loud crash and slam his head hard against the dumpster. Tae didn't even blink. Although aesthetics and functions have been improved, meaning that his legs were moving now, they could not be fixed fully by hand and were still prone to spasms at random times. At least they were not sparking now.
Returning his gaze to the humans around him, Tae once again apologized. “I-I’m sorry. Emergency repairs not su-suff-sufficient to regain motor functions. Standing and walking is theoretically possible with st-sturdy enough support.” This was frustrating and inefficient. Tae had a job to do and these damage were in the way of it… although what the job entailed was not clear to Tae but he knew that there was something he was supposed to be doing at that time instead of being broken on the ground.
So when the man poked his cheek and said one of the key phrases, Tae more or less returned to consciousness. His eyes which had only been dimly glowing blue before flashed to life in rapid bursts as if it was trying to stay lit but could not, the pupils quickly swerving towards the man who had poked him, gaze locked on. Now that he was turned on, his full power grid was as well, making his leg spark and twitch has he tried to move.
“Y-y-ye-ess.” Tae stuttered out, answering the question to the best of his ability despite the damages. He was ‘in there’. His mouth itself may have been fine physically, but his voice box and verbal skills were a touch scrambled. What was left of his programming, what had not been removed or crushed under the neck blow from before, still dictated that he serve his master even if he was half broken. In fact, Tae would destroy himself before he let his master die. Only with no master in his data banks, that left him forced to serve and sacrifice himself for any human who gave a command. “I-I am Tae. P-p-pleasure to m-eee-t you, sir-r-r. How --- I help you?”
At this point Tae tried to get up his half crushed leg sparking from where the wires were showing as well as making a painful grating noise as whatever was inside of his leg scratched across some other piece of metal inside his leg. It was manners to stand when greeting someone after all. Tae quickly realized this was not going to work though and instead tried to move his arms. His right hand responded, twisting into a fist a few times, but the full arm did nothing more swing. His left arm and hand though was just fine, perfect except for some missing skin. Tae without problem reached up and picked a few pieces of trash out of his hair, attempting to smooth his hair down as he stared down at his leg and right arm in thought and confusion. It’s not that he did not understand what was wrong, he was clearly broken, but why, how and what was needed to repair him?
“I apolo-apologize for my current s-s-state.” Tae continued politely, “ I will-will see what I can do. Please hold while I-I-I perform a system kryss av.” The foreign word came out fluently and Tae did not try to correct himself, not realizing he had switched languages. Instead he fell silent and the constant hum that had been emanating from his body increased in volume. Tae proceeded to quietly run a scan over himself, checking everything from balance, to bio metrics, to overall configuration. “System check comp-le-le-lete.”
Tae proceeded to ramble off what his damages were, a complete breakdown and self analysis all in the matter of minutes. Missing memory chip, water repellent coverage missing or ripped (skin), vocal box out of place which was causing his voice to have the robotic/mechanical tone, his owner registrar had been deleted and needed to be resubmitted, etc etc. He then proceeded to name off what is functioning, his sensory equipment (sight, touch, hearing), his cooling regulations, and his ability to connect to the internet, etc etc. “Immediate repair-r-rs are recommended. Emergency maintenance will p-p-roceed in ten seconds.”
Although he had been directed to do none of this, not the system check or the emergency maintenance, Tae knew that he was of no use to the humans as he was so he acted accordingly. Tae blinked for the first time in what seemed like forever as he examined his highly crushed leg. He reached out to it, shoving a few of his fingers into the hole where most of the sparks were coming from. He then proceeded to bend his own body back into shape, either implying that he was made out of fragile material or that his arm had more strength than it looked. His leg was far from smooth by the time he was done but now it at least looked like a leg, and after he messed with some of the wires until none were sticking out anymore, the sparks had stopped too.
The robot was… self repairing. There have been times that other PETs have helped a human repair another PET, but there was always a human to give directions. Tae did not. If he had hammers, pliers, and other such tools he may have done more than just uncrunch his legs until they were straight, albeit more fragile than they should have been. The leg issue was obvious when Tae proceeded to actually lift himself up into a standing position only to fall back down in a very loud crash and slam his head hard against the dumpster. Tae didn't even blink. Although aesthetics and functions have been improved, meaning that his legs were moving now, they could not be fixed fully by hand and were still prone to spasms at random times. At least they were not sparking now.
Returning his gaze to the humans around him, Tae once again apologized. “I-I’m sorry. Emergency repairs not su-suff-sufficient to regain motor functions. Standing and walking is theoretically possible with st-sturdy enough support.” This was frustrating and inefficient. Tae had a job to do and these damage were in the way of it… although what the job entailed was not clear to Tae but he knew that there was something he was supposed to be doing at that time instead of being broken on the ground.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Phoenix watched in stillness and silence as the robot's eyes began to flash like miniature strobelights in response to her coworker's touch and voice. When its eyes suddenly moved to look at Dan, he recoiled out of surprise, nearly falling flat on his behind. "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, staring back at the blue eyes that seemed to be glued to him. Around him, Phoenix's other coworkers were similarly taken aback by the robot's sudden activation. The movement and sparking of his leg caused Wendy to step back behind one of the burly men, but other than that none of them moved or spoke as the robot itself began to speak.
This thing looked like it was in terrible shape, and its vocal mechanisms appeared to be in an equally bad state. Still, Phoenix had to say that she was a little surprised that it even had any function left. After all, she had already started thinking about how the hell they were going to lug this heavy thing up to her apartment without looking insanely suspicious. One less thing to worry about, she thought as the robot politely introduced himself as Tae before asking how he could assist the blond man squatting next to him.
"Uhh... well..." Dan was at a loss for words. Then, when Tae began to shift, he quickly rose to his feet and took a step back, with the others following suit as a sparks jumped and flew from an open spot of the robot's leg. Phoenix winced a little as the sound of metal grinding against metal emanated from his leg - her ears always felt a bit tender and sensitive after listening to pounding dance music and having orders drunkenly yelled at her all night. Thankfully, it seemed Tae was functioning enough to realize his leg was malfunctioning, and the noise ceased fairly quickly.
"Where did this thing come from..." Wendy murmured, finally breaking the speechlessness that had befallen the group. However, no one had an answer - at least, not while they were all watching the machine test out his arms by tidying up his hair. Phoenix raised an eyebrow slightly as she tapped out a bit of ash from the end of her cigarette, still keeping her own silence. This was obviously unlike any machine or PET she - or really, anyone - had seen before. Even though Tae was beat up and busted to hell, he was still remarkably... human. Well, for a robot, of course. And so Phoenix found her mind racing. Where did this thing come from? Who made it? Why was it lying in their dumpster, about to be roasted by their incinerator?
The questions just kept coming as she continued to observe the robot. He apologized for his sorry state, before informing them he would perform a system kryss av - A system check, she thought, filling in the blanks despite the glitch in his vocabulary. Which, it seemed, probably extended beyond the English language as well.
"No problem, man," one of the muscular men said in quiet awe before looking at his equally buff companion. "Dude, this thing is... nuts."
At this point, Wendy came out from behind the other man, looking around at her fellow humans with a wrinkle on her brow and a frown on her red lips. "So now that we know this thing isn't Godzilla, my mom, or is gonna explode - what do we do with it?"
But before anyone could respond, Tae announced the completion of his system check and promptly began to list his findings. Blank stares fell across the group's faces, save for Phoenix. Instead she furrowed her eyebrows, doing her best to commit Tae's words to memory. Needless to say, if she wanted to fix him up, she'd have to know just what to work on. However, her memorization was thrown off by her surprise as the dark-haired android stated he would be proceeding with emergency maintenance. The five resumed their wordless observation of the curious machine as he jammed his fingers into the broken part of his leg, and worked on getting himself back into some functioning shape.
What else is it capable of? Phoenix thought, her eyes following its every movement. She dropped her cigarette to the ground and rubbed it out under her shoe as she remained enveloped in her thoughts. Even in its poor condition, the way it moved its hands did not seem as stiff and mechanical as she would have expected. Not only that, but none of them had said a word about fixing him up, or otherwise doing, well... anything. She felt her heartbeat quicken at the realization. Everything about Tae was weird, in a good way - it was exciting, but at the same time she felt unease starting to bloom at the pit of her stomach. If Tae could do so much still in this condition, what was his full potential? Not only that, but would he be too advanced for her to work on?
The woman had no time to ponder these feelings though, as Tae finished his emergency repairs. Before she knew it, the robot had stood up successfully, only to stumble backwards and whack his head on the dumpster with a crash loud enough to echo through the alleyway. "Holy shit!" Dan yelled as they all startled from the sudden fall. Instinctively, he and Phoenix came closer to see if he was alright - which, being a robot and all - he was. Tae offered another apology, but informed them that he should be able to stand and walk with enough help - in theory. This seemed to cue the two larger men to crouch down at this side and hoist him back up onto the trolley, putting him down so he could (hopefully) sit on the edge. After doing so, they took a seat on either side of him.
"So, let's get back to the question." Wendy placed a hand on her hip and looked around again. "What do we do with it?"
"Tae," one of the men sitting next to the robot said. "His name's Tae."
"Fine, whatever - what do we do with Tae? We can't leave it here. From what I caught, it doesn't remember anything, like who its owner is, so..." The redheaded woman trailed off, shrugging her shoulders and holding her hands out expectantly, as if waiting for an answer to be placed in her palm. Which Phoenix was happy to do.
"I'll take Tae back to mine and see what I can do." The Chinese woman walked around the trolley and stood in front of Tae. She examined his face for a moment, looking from his hair to his faintly glowing blue eyes before she spoke. "Tae, I'm Phoenix. And you're coming with me." Then, her gaze went from each of the men on either side of him. "Ross, you were going to give me a ride home anyway, so we'll take it, too. Jose, do you mind coming with us? I'm probably not strong enough to help support it." Both men agreed, leaving Phoenix to turn to Wendy and Dan.
She gave them a small, guilty smile. "Sorry, can you guys finish closing? I should get Tae back before my apartment gets too lively - I don't think too many people should see us bringing him up."
"Sure, if I get to come visit when you're finished fixing him," Dan said.
Next to him, Wendy simply shrugged. "Works for me. Just be careful, girl."
Phoenix gave a small laugh and a bit of reassurance before they all dispersed. Ross and Jose decided to wheel Tae over to their cars, where they prepared to support him in climbing into the back seat. Meanwhile, the woman went inside to retrieve all of their things before meeting them back at Ross's SUV. With Jose in the front seat, she climbed into the back with Tae and buckled herself in. Amusingly, one of the men had also put the seatbelt over the android as well.
Once they were on their way back, driving along the quiet early-morning roads, she looked over to Tae. "So, do you remember anything?" she asked him, a mix of caution and curiosity in her voice.
This thing looked like it was in terrible shape, and its vocal mechanisms appeared to be in an equally bad state. Still, Phoenix had to say that she was a little surprised that it even had any function left. After all, she had already started thinking about how the hell they were going to lug this heavy thing up to her apartment without looking insanely suspicious. One less thing to worry about, she thought as the robot politely introduced himself as Tae before asking how he could assist the blond man squatting next to him.
"Uhh... well..." Dan was at a loss for words. Then, when Tae began to shift, he quickly rose to his feet and took a step back, with the others following suit as a sparks jumped and flew from an open spot of the robot's leg. Phoenix winced a little as the sound of metal grinding against metal emanated from his leg - her ears always felt a bit tender and sensitive after listening to pounding dance music and having orders drunkenly yelled at her all night. Thankfully, it seemed Tae was functioning enough to realize his leg was malfunctioning, and the noise ceased fairly quickly.
"Where did this thing come from..." Wendy murmured, finally breaking the speechlessness that had befallen the group. However, no one had an answer - at least, not while they were all watching the machine test out his arms by tidying up his hair. Phoenix raised an eyebrow slightly as she tapped out a bit of ash from the end of her cigarette, still keeping her own silence. This was obviously unlike any machine or PET she - or really, anyone - had seen before. Even though Tae was beat up and busted to hell, he was still remarkably... human. Well, for a robot, of course. And so Phoenix found her mind racing. Where did this thing come from? Who made it? Why was it lying in their dumpster, about to be roasted by their incinerator?
The questions just kept coming as she continued to observe the robot. He apologized for his sorry state, before informing them he would perform a system kryss av - A system check, she thought, filling in the blanks despite the glitch in his vocabulary. Which, it seemed, probably extended beyond the English language as well.
"No problem, man," one of the muscular men said in quiet awe before looking at his equally buff companion. "Dude, this thing is... nuts."
At this point, Wendy came out from behind the other man, looking around at her fellow humans with a wrinkle on her brow and a frown on her red lips. "So now that we know this thing isn't Godzilla, my mom, or is gonna explode - what do we do with it?"
But before anyone could respond, Tae announced the completion of his system check and promptly began to list his findings. Blank stares fell across the group's faces, save for Phoenix. Instead she furrowed her eyebrows, doing her best to commit Tae's words to memory. Needless to say, if she wanted to fix him up, she'd have to know just what to work on. However, her memorization was thrown off by her surprise as the dark-haired android stated he would be proceeding with emergency maintenance. The five resumed their wordless observation of the curious machine as he jammed his fingers into the broken part of his leg, and worked on getting himself back into some functioning shape.
What else is it capable of? Phoenix thought, her eyes following its every movement. She dropped her cigarette to the ground and rubbed it out under her shoe as she remained enveloped in her thoughts. Even in its poor condition, the way it moved its hands did not seem as stiff and mechanical as she would have expected. Not only that, but none of them had said a word about fixing him up, or otherwise doing, well... anything. She felt her heartbeat quicken at the realization. Everything about Tae was weird, in a good way - it was exciting, but at the same time she felt unease starting to bloom at the pit of her stomach. If Tae could do so much still in this condition, what was his full potential? Not only that, but would he be too advanced for her to work on?
The woman had no time to ponder these feelings though, as Tae finished his emergency repairs. Before she knew it, the robot had stood up successfully, only to stumble backwards and whack his head on the dumpster with a crash loud enough to echo through the alleyway. "Holy shit!" Dan yelled as they all startled from the sudden fall. Instinctively, he and Phoenix came closer to see if he was alright - which, being a robot and all - he was. Tae offered another apology, but informed them that he should be able to stand and walk with enough help - in theory. This seemed to cue the two larger men to crouch down at this side and hoist him back up onto the trolley, putting him down so he could (hopefully) sit on the edge. After doing so, they took a seat on either side of him.
"So, let's get back to the question." Wendy placed a hand on her hip and looked around again. "What do we do with it?"
"Tae," one of the men sitting next to the robot said. "His name's Tae."
"Fine, whatever - what do we do with Tae? We can't leave it here. From what I caught, it doesn't remember anything, like who its owner is, so..." The redheaded woman trailed off, shrugging her shoulders and holding her hands out expectantly, as if waiting for an answer to be placed in her palm. Which Phoenix was happy to do.
"I'll take Tae back to mine and see what I can do." The Chinese woman walked around the trolley and stood in front of Tae. She examined his face for a moment, looking from his hair to his faintly glowing blue eyes before she spoke. "Tae, I'm Phoenix. And you're coming with me." Then, her gaze went from each of the men on either side of him. "Ross, you were going to give me a ride home anyway, so we'll take it, too. Jose, do you mind coming with us? I'm probably not strong enough to help support it." Both men agreed, leaving Phoenix to turn to Wendy and Dan.
She gave them a small, guilty smile. "Sorry, can you guys finish closing? I should get Tae back before my apartment gets too lively - I don't think too many people should see us bringing him up."
"Sure, if I get to come visit when you're finished fixing him," Dan said.
Next to him, Wendy simply shrugged. "Works for me. Just be careful, girl."
Phoenix gave a small laugh and a bit of reassurance before they all dispersed. Ross and Jose decided to wheel Tae over to their cars, where they prepared to support him in climbing into the back seat. Meanwhile, the woman went inside to retrieve all of their things before meeting them back at Ross's SUV. With Jose in the front seat, she climbed into the back with Tae and buckled herself in. Amusingly, one of the men had also put the seatbelt over the android as well.
Once they were on their way back, driving along the quiet early-morning roads, she looked over to Tae. "So, do you remember anything?" she asked him, a mix of caution and curiosity in her voice.
Viper
One Thousand Club
“Thank you.” Tae spoke as the two burly men helped moved him to the trolley where he was able to successfully sit upright. His posture was premium, perfectly straight with shoulders back and head held high. This normally would have made him look formal or professional, perhaps a bit uptight, but due to his ripped skin and arm that was hanging lifelessly from his side the posture only ended up creating an a large contrast. Mainly, what he was trying to be and what he was in that moment.
As the conversation turned to what would be done with him, Tae turned silent. His eyes continued to flash and dart towards whoever was talking, but he dared not interrupt. It was not his place to do so after all. Especially in his condition there was very little he could add to the conversation.
Despite his circumstances however, Tae made it his mission to not waste time whenever possible but more than that, his mission was to expect and prepare for anything his masters may request of him. So even though he did not know who any of the humans are around him were and his symptoms were damaged in more than one way, Tae began to search the local area for supply shops and/or PET vets just in case any of them were to ask where to begin fixing him. For long term results, repairing him was the most profitable and efficient option available. Thankfully, there were several small PET repair locations in the area but unfortunately, all had been marked forbidden on his map. The reason they were restricted to Tae was unknown but that changed nothing, the fact that they were locked off for Tae to enter made them not true options. Not even worth mentioning.The only PET vet that was not blocked off in Tae’s search was several hours away, at least a days drive with no traffic. So supply shops it was then. There were fewer in the area, which meant less options for price and quality, but there were enough to get the job done. Just a basic search of their in stock supplies indicated that they more or less would have the necessary supplies to get him functioning.
Although Tae had been listening the whole time and heard every word, his focus returned to the non-digital world when one of the women in the group knelt in front of him. “I understand, Mis-mis-mistress Phoenix.” Tae responded when he was given his order to go with her. He almost tried to get up on his own again, stubbornness and desire to serve outweighing his knowledge that standing on his own would be impossible. Thankfully though, this momentary laps in logic lasted only a millisecond, so he did nothing more than stretching and twitch his legs before giving up on his inclination.
As the humans wheeled Tae to their car and then proceeded to help him into the car, he looked up at them from his seated position and for the third time, proceeded to ask for forgiveness. To be honest though, it's not like he was actually sorry for anything since none of this was his fault as far as memory served. It was just easier to say sorry than explain every time something went wrong that not everything was possible even for him, yet somewhere in his programming it stated that he had to apologize when he failed to do something and that was the only reason he did it. “I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that my current physical state is bringing to you.” And myself. The robot said to his human masters, adding that last part silently. Although he referred to everyone as his masters, he had been given the direct orders to go with Phoenix so even though he would still follow anyone's orders or requests, she was at the top of his list. Direct orders always came before indirect requests. “Typically I am not not not this kruchy or helpless. My current condition is unusual… and inconvenient for all parties.” Kruchy meaning fragile and brittle.
“Yes.” Tae answered factually, no doubt in his voice but it lacked the pride most people had when they were confident they had the right answer. “I remember that you are Mistress Phoenix, Master Ross is the one driving, and Master Jose is in the passenger seat. We j-j-just left the alleyway connecting Starlingway street and Picken street by means of the vehicle we are currently sit--- in, license plate number 537 GYE.” These words were rambled off quickly and efficiently, excluding the stuttering of course.
Tae was silent for a moment, looking at Phoenix blankly before a slightly visible light bulb went off in his eyes, “Perhaps, did you m-m-mean before this past half hour, Mistress?” He asked, looking for clarification on the specifics of her question before continuing, “Due to my memory chip being ejected, the answer to your query-question is no. All records are gone or otillgänglig.” Unfortunately, the word which failed to pass the translation check was a swedish word for inaccessible. Meaning, the records were there and in tact, only Tae could not interact with him in any way deeper than just knowing that the data existed. “Un-unless the chip is recovered or I am directly connected to an external, memory server where my data may have been sent to, I’m afraid I know no-nothing beyond meeting you t-t-today.”
Tae then proceeded to glance out the cars window to witness what passed. He did not recognize any of it, although he could name off every street and building they passed due to his connection to maps and the like, but that did not change the fact that this was all unfamiliar information within his data banks. Of course that was expected, his memory card had been removed and a large chunk of his other data had been erased. Honestly, Tae would have been more concerned if he had remembered this area without a memory chip because that meant important core data was being pushed aside in favor of local geography. The memory loss was nothing more than an inconvenience to add on top of the damages. No great loss. After all, it’s hard to miss what you never knew you had.
“May I ask a question?” Tae requested, not continuing unless he received permission. “Are you, any of you, my owner? I am going home with you Mistress, so I surmise that you are most likely to be my o-o-owner. My reg-registration was deleted so I do not know anymore.” The registration he was referring to was the digital contract in his mainframe that declared him a piece of property, the property of the one he follows the orders of above all others. All PET’s had these since, besides just marking him as set property, it also made it so that if he was found by someone they could return the property to their rightful owner. Typically this contract was locked behind numerous walls, but for some reasons Tae’s contract was remarkably unprotected and easily deleted.
As the conversation turned to what would be done with him, Tae turned silent. His eyes continued to flash and dart towards whoever was talking, but he dared not interrupt. It was not his place to do so after all. Especially in his condition there was very little he could add to the conversation.
Despite his circumstances however, Tae made it his mission to not waste time whenever possible but more than that, his mission was to expect and prepare for anything his masters may request of him. So even though he did not know who any of the humans are around him were and his symptoms were damaged in more than one way, Tae began to search the local area for supply shops and/or PET vets just in case any of them were to ask where to begin fixing him. For long term results, repairing him was the most profitable and efficient option available. Thankfully, there were several small PET repair locations in the area but unfortunately, all had been marked forbidden on his map. The reason they were restricted to Tae was unknown but that changed nothing, the fact that they were locked off for Tae to enter made them not true options. Not even worth mentioning.The only PET vet that was not blocked off in Tae’s search was several hours away, at least a days drive with no traffic. So supply shops it was then. There were fewer in the area, which meant less options for price and quality, but there were enough to get the job done. Just a basic search of their in stock supplies indicated that they more or less would have the necessary supplies to get him functioning.
Although Tae had been listening the whole time and heard every word, his focus returned to the non-digital world when one of the women in the group knelt in front of him. “I understand, Mis-mis-mistress Phoenix.” Tae responded when he was given his order to go with her. He almost tried to get up on his own again, stubbornness and desire to serve outweighing his knowledge that standing on his own would be impossible. Thankfully though, this momentary laps in logic lasted only a millisecond, so he did nothing more than stretching and twitch his legs before giving up on his inclination.
As the humans wheeled Tae to their car and then proceeded to help him into the car, he looked up at them from his seated position and for the third time, proceeded to ask for forgiveness. To be honest though, it's not like he was actually sorry for anything since none of this was his fault as far as memory served. It was just easier to say sorry than explain every time something went wrong that not everything was possible even for him, yet somewhere in his programming it stated that he had to apologize when he failed to do something and that was the only reason he did it. “I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience that my current physical state is bringing to you.” And myself. The robot said to his human masters, adding that last part silently. Although he referred to everyone as his masters, he had been given the direct orders to go with Phoenix so even though he would still follow anyone's orders or requests, she was at the top of his list. Direct orders always came before indirect requests. “Typically I am not not not this kruchy or helpless. My current condition is unusual… and inconvenient for all parties.” Kruchy meaning fragile and brittle.
“Yes.” Tae answered factually, no doubt in his voice but it lacked the pride most people had when they were confident they had the right answer. “I remember that you are Mistress Phoenix, Master Ross is the one driving, and Master Jose is in the passenger seat. We j-j-just left the alleyway connecting Starlingway street and Picken street by means of the vehicle we are currently sit--- in, license plate number 537 GYE.” These words were rambled off quickly and efficiently, excluding the stuttering of course.
Tae was silent for a moment, looking at Phoenix blankly before a slightly visible light bulb went off in his eyes, “Perhaps, did you m-m-mean before this past half hour, Mistress?” He asked, looking for clarification on the specifics of her question before continuing, “Due to my memory chip being ejected, the answer to your query-question is no. All records are gone or otillgänglig.” Unfortunately, the word which failed to pass the translation check was a swedish word for inaccessible. Meaning, the records were there and in tact, only Tae could not interact with him in any way deeper than just knowing that the data existed. “Un-unless the chip is recovered or I am directly connected to an external, memory server where my data may have been sent to, I’m afraid I know no-nothing beyond meeting you t-t-today.”
Tae then proceeded to glance out the cars window to witness what passed. He did not recognize any of it, although he could name off every street and building they passed due to his connection to maps and the like, but that did not change the fact that this was all unfamiliar information within his data banks. Of course that was expected, his memory card had been removed and a large chunk of his other data had been erased. Honestly, Tae would have been more concerned if he had remembered this area without a memory chip because that meant important core data was being pushed aside in favor of local geography. The memory loss was nothing more than an inconvenience to add on top of the damages. No great loss. After all, it’s hard to miss what you never knew you had.
“May I ask a question?” Tae requested, not continuing unless he received permission. “Are you, any of you, my owner? I am going home with you Mistress, so I surmise that you are most likely to be my o-o-owner. My reg-registration was deleted so I do not know anymore.” The registration he was referring to was the digital contract in his mainframe that declared him a piece of property, the property of the one he follows the orders of above all others. All PET’s had these since, besides just marking him as set property, it also made it so that if he was found by someone they could return the property to their rightful owner. Typically this contract was locked behind numerous walls, but for some reasons Tae’s contract was remarkably unprotected and easily deleted.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Mistress? Phoenix wrinkled her nose but said nothing, as there were more important things to address with her coworkers. Still, she made a mental note to be sure to adjust Tae so she would never be addressed like that again. Something about being someone's master really rubbed her the wrong way. Made her feel a bit dirty, actually, especially coming from a robot that looked so human. Even now, she was beginning to think of the android as a 'he' rather than an 'it', which probably added to how uncomfortable it made her feel. It was strange, really, how quickly and subtly she began to think about Tae differently. She supposed it was natural though, especially with the two bouncers already referring to Tae as male, as if he were truly human.
But the woman did not dwell on these thoughts. Not only was there no time to sit and philosophize, but she had only so much energy left after her busy shift. While she hurried inside to gather their things, the two men were busy with Tae. As he asked them for forgiveness, the two looked at each other quizzically, as if the other would know what to do. "Hey man, no worries." Jose waved his hand dismissingly, giving Tae a smile as he stepped back from the car. "It's not your fault. Someone obviously messed you up real bad."
Ross nodded in agreement and gave Tae a hearty pat on the shoulder as he helped buckle him in. "Yeah, it's no problem, Tae." The two proceeded to pile into the front seat and put their own seatbelts on, just as Phoenix arrived at the car with their belongings.
Once they were on their way to her place and she had posed her question, the dark-haired woman watched him intently as he replied. The tiniest frown tugged at the corners of her lips as he matter-of-factly stated their driving arrangements, along with the street names around the club. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jose nudge Ross as Tae recited his license plate perfectly and precisely. He mumbled something to the driver, undoubtedly some joke vaguely pertaining to getting pulled over by the police and how Tae knew his plate number. But she ignored them, her attention focused solely on their conversation in the back seat. Obviously Tae had misconstrued her question - her fault, she supposed - but she decided to wait a moment to see if he would understand the nuance on his own.
There was a small pause, in which the robot stared at her before speaking again after a light seemed to turn on behind his eyes. The frown slowly turned into a small smile as she nodded. "Yes. That's right," she confirmed, both pleased and impressed that he had passed her little test. While his answer was not so pleasing, it did not exactly come as a surprise. Phoenix did not quite figure out what word he had meant to say in English, but the message was still conveyed quite clearly. "I see. That's too bad," she said rather plainly once he had explained the ways in which they could restore his memory. Which, of course, were probably next to impossible at this point in time.
As Tae looked out the window, Phoenix herself straightened in her seat and thought for a moment. She supposed it was possible the chip might have been in the incinerator with him, but somehow she felt that was unlikely. From what she could see, the way he was damaged looked more deliberate than accidental. If someone did this to him on purpose, they probably meant to ensure his memory was missing, too. And even if he had been accidentally damaged, she had trouble believing that something as important as a memory chip would be so easily lost - especially when he looked to be so polished and well-constructed.
Besides, it wouldn't be shocking if someone did take away his memory. If Tae could memorize Ross's license plate and repeat their whole encounter so easily and precisely, what other more nefarious information could he give away? After all, he was pretty much like a walking, talking security camera in a way.
Phoenix was snapped out of her thoughts as Tae posed her a question. She looked over at him, eyebrows gently raised. "Sure, go ahead." Jose turned around in his seat to look back at the robot as he inquired about his ownership. Phoenix briefly exchanged a look with her male colleague before she turned to Tae again. "Officially, none of us are. Like you, we don't know who your owner is." She paused for a moment, thinking back to when she had first seen Tae and was nearly scared half to death by his unblinking blue gaze. She hadn't really thought about it until now, but perhaps he had been in rest mode while lying there and had no idea of the situation prior to them pulling him out.
"I found you in the incinerator behind the club where all three of us - as well as the other two you saw in the alleyway - work." She held her gaze with Tae's, watching for any signs of activity behind his illuminated eyes. "I don't know who damaged you, how you got there, or where you came from. I don't even know what exactly you really are." All this time she had been thinking of him as something like a PET, but was he really? No PETs out there were so alike to a human. Was he a different kind of android entirely?
By this time, they had pulled up to Phoenix's apartment complex. The trip had been smooth and quick, thanks to the utter lack of traffic at this ungodly hour. Ross parked the car in the closest visitor's spot and, after shutting off the car, hopped out. Jose and Phoenix followed suit, the woman grabbing her things before joining the men on the side of the car where Tae sat. "Wait, before you take Tae out--" She reached into her bag and pulled out a hoodie. She typically brought one in case it got cold, but right now it had a much better use. The woman unbuckled the seat belt and slipped the garment on to Tae, with Ross helping to get it on around his back. Once his arms were in, she pulled the hood over his head and stepped back.
"Perfect! Somehow, it's actually less suspicious," she said, chuckling dryly in amusement. "Okay, let's go."
With that, the two men helped Tae out of the car and supported him under each arm. Phoenix closed the door behind them before running ahead to open the doors into the building. Ross and Jose walked at Tae's pace, both of their faces mildly strained from the weight of the machine. Eventually they made it past both doors and into the lobby, where they caught the elevator and entered it.
Phoenix punched in the number of her floor before holding down the button to close the doors, praying that they would encounter no one on their journey up. Thankfully, the ride up to the 6th floor was non-stop and it wasn't long before the group reached her door. Quickly, she opened it and ushered them inside, relieved that they were lucky enough to be unseen by anyone. Once inside, she quickly grabbed a sheet from her closet and draped it over her couch. "Here, just lay him down on this," she said, which the men wordlessly did. They set him down with a sigh and a groan.
Jose shook out his hands a little. "Damn, you're heavy. I think that's my workout for the day right there." He laughed.
Phoenix breathed a sigh herself, glad that she had finally made it back. Her home in question was a tiny studio apartment, with everything carefully arrange to maximize space. Her furniture was relatively nice at least and she had spent some effort in decorating, so it at least didn't look like a total dump. This way it wasn't so embarrassing when people stopped by, either. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it," she said, her waning energy evident in her voice. "Did you two want something to eat or drink?" She looked from one man to the other as she tossed her purse in the corner and began to take her shoes off.
Ross shook his head. "Nah, it's cool. I need to get going though, before Rachel starts wondering where I am."
"Yeah, we're good. I can't wait to get home and shower, actually." Jose laughed again. "See you at work, Phoenix. See you around too, Tae," the other man said as they both waved and made their way back out the door.
Phoenix locked the door behind them and sighed. Now that she was back in the comfort of her own little apartment, the fatigue was really setting in. But it was intensely strange to have someone else here, especially when that 'someone' was actually an amnesiac robot they had found in the dumpster. From where she stood in front of the door, she looked at Tae who was on the couch just a short distance away. She would need to get a better idea of what was damaged, and what she'd need to buy to repair him. And of course, she'd have to take a look at her bank account and see what materials she could even afford right now. But all of that would have to wait until later. Still, she supposed that even with her exhaustion she could manage a little bit. The bare minimum, at least.
"I'm going to shower," she announced as she strolled over to her drawers and began to pick out clean clothes to sleep in. With them in arm, she turned to look at the robot and continued. "After that, I'm going to bed. After I wake up, I'm going to see what I need to try and repair you, then go out and get it." Phoenix paused here, suddenly feeling a bit odd again. It was strange to talk to him like he was like any other guest, and even stranger still how naturally she had decided to do so. After all, she really didn't have to fill him in on the plan, nor did she owe him any sort of explanation. Yet, somehow, it almost felt wrong not to mention anything.
She decided to chalk it up to exhaustion, and said no more as she went to wash herself up. After twenty minutes she exited the bathroom, wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts. Phoenix began to turn off the lights in her apartment, leaving the one at her bedside table on until she settled into bed. As she sat up to turn off the lamp, she paused. Her bed faced the couch were Tae was, and naturally he caught her gaze. She began to wonder if he was comfortable, or feeling scared and confused, but then she caught herself. Of course he didn't - he was a machine, after all. Even though he looked like a guy, he wasn't. I'll have to be sure not to forget that, she thought to herself.
Still, she felt compelled to acknowledge his existence at least.
"Good night, Tae," she said before turning out the lights and lying down to sleep.
But the woman did not dwell on these thoughts. Not only was there no time to sit and philosophize, but she had only so much energy left after her busy shift. While she hurried inside to gather their things, the two men were busy with Tae. As he asked them for forgiveness, the two looked at each other quizzically, as if the other would know what to do. "Hey man, no worries." Jose waved his hand dismissingly, giving Tae a smile as he stepped back from the car. "It's not your fault. Someone obviously messed you up real bad."
Ross nodded in agreement and gave Tae a hearty pat on the shoulder as he helped buckle him in. "Yeah, it's no problem, Tae." The two proceeded to pile into the front seat and put their own seatbelts on, just as Phoenix arrived at the car with their belongings.
Once they were on their way to her place and she had posed her question, the dark-haired woman watched him intently as he replied. The tiniest frown tugged at the corners of her lips as he matter-of-factly stated their driving arrangements, along with the street names around the club. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jose nudge Ross as Tae recited his license plate perfectly and precisely. He mumbled something to the driver, undoubtedly some joke vaguely pertaining to getting pulled over by the police and how Tae knew his plate number. But she ignored them, her attention focused solely on their conversation in the back seat. Obviously Tae had misconstrued her question - her fault, she supposed - but she decided to wait a moment to see if he would understand the nuance on his own.
There was a small pause, in which the robot stared at her before speaking again after a light seemed to turn on behind his eyes. The frown slowly turned into a small smile as she nodded. "Yes. That's right," she confirmed, both pleased and impressed that he had passed her little test. While his answer was not so pleasing, it did not exactly come as a surprise. Phoenix did not quite figure out what word he had meant to say in English, but the message was still conveyed quite clearly. "I see. That's too bad," she said rather plainly once he had explained the ways in which they could restore his memory. Which, of course, were probably next to impossible at this point in time.
As Tae looked out the window, Phoenix herself straightened in her seat and thought for a moment. She supposed it was possible the chip might have been in the incinerator with him, but somehow she felt that was unlikely. From what she could see, the way he was damaged looked more deliberate than accidental. If someone did this to him on purpose, they probably meant to ensure his memory was missing, too. And even if he had been accidentally damaged, she had trouble believing that something as important as a memory chip would be so easily lost - especially when he looked to be so polished and well-constructed.
Besides, it wouldn't be shocking if someone did take away his memory. If Tae could memorize Ross's license plate and repeat their whole encounter so easily and precisely, what other more nefarious information could he give away? After all, he was pretty much like a walking, talking security camera in a way.
Phoenix was snapped out of her thoughts as Tae posed her a question. She looked over at him, eyebrows gently raised. "Sure, go ahead." Jose turned around in his seat to look back at the robot as he inquired about his ownership. Phoenix briefly exchanged a look with her male colleague before she turned to Tae again. "Officially, none of us are. Like you, we don't know who your owner is." She paused for a moment, thinking back to when she had first seen Tae and was nearly scared half to death by his unblinking blue gaze. She hadn't really thought about it until now, but perhaps he had been in rest mode while lying there and had no idea of the situation prior to them pulling him out.
"I found you in the incinerator behind the club where all three of us - as well as the other two you saw in the alleyway - work." She held her gaze with Tae's, watching for any signs of activity behind his illuminated eyes. "I don't know who damaged you, how you got there, or where you came from. I don't even know what exactly you really are." All this time she had been thinking of him as something like a PET, but was he really? No PETs out there were so alike to a human. Was he a different kind of android entirely?
By this time, they had pulled up to Phoenix's apartment complex. The trip had been smooth and quick, thanks to the utter lack of traffic at this ungodly hour. Ross parked the car in the closest visitor's spot and, after shutting off the car, hopped out. Jose and Phoenix followed suit, the woman grabbing her things before joining the men on the side of the car where Tae sat. "Wait, before you take Tae out--" She reached into her bag and pulled out a hoodie. She typically brought one in case it got cold, but right now it had a much better use. The woman unbuckled the seat belt and slipped the garment on to Tae, with Ross helping to get it on around his back. Once his arms were in, she pulled the hood over his head and stepped back.
"Perfect! Somehow, it's actually less suspicious," she said, chuckling dryly in amusement. "Okay, let's go."
With that, the two men helped Tae out of the car and supported him under each arm. Phoenix closed the door behind them before running ahead to open the doors into the building. Ross and Jose walked at Tae's pace, both of their faces mildly strained from the weight of the machine. Eventually they made it past both doors and into the lobby, where they caught the elevator and entered it.
Phoenix punched in the number of her floor before holding down the button to close the doors, praying that they would encounter no one on their journey up. Thankfully, the ride up to the 6th floor was non-stop and it wasn't long before the group reached her door. Quickly, she opened it and ushered them inside, relieved that they were lucky enough to be unseen by anyone. Once inside, she quickly grabbed a sheet from her closet and draped it over her couch. "Here, just lay him down on this," she said, which the men wordlessly did. They set him down with a sigh and a groan.
Jose shook out his hands a little. "Damn, you're heavy. I think that's my workout for the day right there." He laughed.
Phoenix breathed a sigh herself, glad that she had finally made it back. Her home in question was a tiny studio apartment, with everything carefully arrange to maximize space. Her furniture was relatively nice at least and she had spent some effort in decorating, so it at least didn't look like a total dump. This way it wasn't so embarrassing when people stopped by, either. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it," she said, her waning energy evident in her voice. "Did you two want something to eat or drink?" She looked from one man to the other as she tossed her purse in the corner and began to take her shoes off.
Ross shook his head. "Nah, it's cool. I need to get going though, before Rachel starts wondering where I am."
"Yeah, we're good. I can't wait to get home and shower, actually." Jose laughed again. "See you at work, Phoenix. See you around too, Tae," the other man said as they both waved and made their way back out the door.
Phoenix locked the door behind them and sighed. Now that she was back in the comfort of her own little apartment, the fatigue was really setting in. But it was intensely strange to have someone else here, especially when that 'someone' was actually an amnesiac robot they had found in the dumpster. From where she stood in front of the door, she looked at Tae who was on the couch just a short distance away. She would need to get a better idea of what was damaged, and what she'd need to buy to repair him. And of course, she'd have to take a look at her bank account and see what materials she could even afford right now. But all of that would have to wait until later. Still, she supposed that even with her exhaustion she could manage a little bit. The bare minimum, at least.
"I'm going to shower," she announced as she strolled over to her drawers and began to pick out clean clothes to sleep in. With them in arm, she turned to look at the robot and continued. "After that, I'm going to bed. After I wake up, I'm going to see what I need to try and repair you, then go out and get it." Phoenix paused here, suddenly feeling a bit odd again. It was strange to talk to him like he was like any other guest, and even stranger still how naturally she had decided to do so. After all, she really didn't have to fill him in on the plan, nor did she owe him any sort of explanation. Yet, somehow, it almost felt wrong not to mention anything.
She decided to chalk it up to exhaustion, and said no more as she went to wash herself up. After twenty minutes she exited the bathroom, wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts. Phoenix began to turn off the lights in her apartment, leaving the one at her bedside table on until she settled into bed. As she sat up to turn off the lamp, she paused. Her bed faced the couch were Tae was, and naturally he caught her gaze. She began to wonder if he was comfortable, or feeling scared and confused, but then she caught herself. Of course he didn't - he was a machine, after all. Even though he looked like a guy, he wasn't. I'll have to be sure not to forget that, she thought to herself.
Still, she felt compelled to acknowledge his existence at least.
"Good night, Tae," she said before turning out the lights and lying down to sleep.
Viper
One Thousand Club
“In-In-Incinerator?” Tae questioned, not out of concern for himself but more to question the logic. “That makes no sense. If someone wanted to be rid of me they would need-need far more heat than a common dumpster…” But then there was the question as to my someone would want to get rid of him. That was Tae’s real concern in this matter. Had he malfunctioned, did he stop being useful, or what? When your entire purpose of existing was to serve, the idea that you had failed your life's mission so horribly that getting thrown out was the only option left was disturbing. “It is truly a sssshame my memory was removed. Knowing the cause behind all of this trouble would be preferred. I suppose these answers will remain a mystery until I am fully functional again.” Once repaired, Tae planned on trying to gain access to some of the cameras. Most alley ways did not have security in place but surely some of them did. Perhaps he could see who and why he ended up in the trash.
Tae did not resist when they reached the apartment and Phoenix tried to put the hoodie on him, in fact he did everything he could to make the process easier. Not that he understood why he felt this way, but he agreed that being less suspicious would be for the best. A large number of people seeing a half broken looking robot was bound to cause more trouble that it was worth. Still the walk to the building and up to the room was painful, not for Tae who could not feel pain, but for the poor men who were dealing with much of his weight. The robot as it turned out, with the weight removed from his leg, could walk with ease and speed. It seemed like his leg functions, motor and balance at least, were fine except for its inability to hold him up. For the humans sake, Tae was pleased that there was an elevator in this complex. It would be a shame if they got back problems in the future due to his current condition.
Without ill intention or even conscious thought, Tae was keeping a close eye on where they were going. Mainly, the address, what floor they were going to, and any pass codes that may have been used on the way. It was always best to know your way back to where your master resided just in case you got separated from them at any point. Typically this information was apart of the owner contract, but since Tae was without an official one he decided to fill in the same information unofficially.
Tae took a seat on the couch as command, turning to one of the man and stating, “I am made from a unique comb-comb-combination of metals, iridium being one of them. Iridium is the second most heavy-dense metal used in the world and is typically used to make high temperature equipment. I imagine that during my making, having a high constitution was deemed more important than being light since typically I am capable of carrying my own weight.” The explanation was not necessary, but after hearing the complaint Tae felt it necessary. He had a hard time not answering questions. It common society, to those that did not know he was a walking robot with the world in his brain, Tae would be called an insufferable know it all who always had to answer every question asked without shame... which was not far from the truth. It’s not like humility was something anyone would bother programming into a robot.
“Goodbye, Master Ross, Master Jose.” Tae said was a nod, the nod making up for the lack of a smile. He watched them leave and once they had, there was no one else for Tae to look at besides Phoenix. Was he looking for direction, orders? In a way, yes, but part of him was silently urging her to immediately go get parts so that he could be repaired tonight. His damages were making his power source inefficient. Normally he could go a full week going at full power without issue, but at the moment he estimated that it would only be a few days before he would run out of energy.
When Phoenix game him a rundown of what she was going to do, all Tae responded with at first was. “I understand.” A moment later though, before she exited the room, he continued, “I should-d-d-d inform you that until I am able to recharge myself, I will generally be in rest mode when you are not around or resting yourself. For f-f-future reference, simply say my name and I will turn back on, Mistress.”
Since he did not sleep and his eyes were still malfunctioning, when Phoenix returned after her shower with the intention of going to sleep, Tae’s eyes still let out a light blue glow that stood out against the dark room like a nightlight. “Rest well, Mistress Phoenix.” He too then leaned back, setting himself a timer and powering down for the time being, his eyes finally dimming again.
~~~~~
When Tae’s alarm went off, not audible since it was for his own use, his eyes flashed open to see that he had awoken first. Tae had no idea when Phoenix wanted to get up so he had planned on waking himself early to be sure he had everything done that he wanted to before she did. This meant that Tae proceeded to go through a slower inspection of his damages, slowing down even more than necessary so that he could keep his volume down and not wake her. He then organised the data, putting the damages and necessary tools into three categories. The lists being what was absolutely needed for him to function at the base level, what was needed to bring him back to prime condition, and what were luxuries that were not needed but probably wanted.
Tae proceeded to print out three pieces of paper with this information on them, shops within the city limits also included. It was a miracle that he had this function at all since even Tae would admit that having a printer within himself was rarely useful. Normally he could be there to verbally share the information or make a hologram of the information. Not in this case though. And since this printer was only sometimes used, the most he could do was print out flashcard sized papers with no color whatsoever. Tae did want to be useful more than just making a list or items and locations where they could be found, so he also took the time to print out coupon codes that could be used for some of the items. Most of them could be found through common means, emails and promotions, but there were a handful of coupons printed out that were sent out more exclusively but still completely legal. By the time he was done, there was a small stack of papers sitting on the couch besides him and once again Tae had powered himself down. The search had took some energy out of him but hopefully it would be helpful to his mistress during her activities that day.
Tae did not resist when they reached the apartment and Phoenix tried to put the hoodie on him, in fact he did everything he could to make the process easier. Not that he understood why he felt this way, but he agreed that being less suspicious would be for the best. A large number of people seeing a half broken looking robot was bound to cause more trouble that it was worth. Still the walk to the building and up to the room was painful, not for Tae who could not feel pain, but for the poor men who were dealing with much of his weight. The robot as it turned out, with the weight removed from his leg, could walk with ease and speed. It seemed like his leg functions, motor and balance at least, were fine except for its inability to hold him up. For the humans sake, Tae was pleased that there was an elevator in this complex. It would be a shame if they got back problems in the future due to his current condition.
Without ill intention or even conscious thought, Tae was keeping a close eye on where they were going. Mainly, the address, what floor they were going to, and any pass codes that may have been used on the way. It was always best to know your way back to where your master resided just in case you got separated from them at any point. Typically this information was apart of the owner contract, but since Tae was without an official one he decided to fill in the same information unofficially.
Tae took a seat on the couch as command, turning to one of the man and stating, “I am made from a unique comb-comb-combination of metals, iridium being one of them. Iridium is the second most heavy-dense metal used in the world and is typically used to make high temperature equipment. I imagine that during my making, having a high constitution was deemed more important than being light since typically I am capable of carrying my own weight.” The explanation was not necessary, but after hearing the complaint Tae felt it necessary. He had a hard time not answering questions. It common society, to those that did not know he was a walking robot with the world in his brain, Tae would be called an insufferable know it all who always had to answer every question asked without shame... which was not far from the truth. It’s not like humility was something anyone would bother programming into a robot.
“Goodbye, Master Ross, Master Jose.” Tae said was a nod, the nod making up for the lack of a smile. He watched them leave and once they had, there was no one else for Tae to look at besides Phoenix. Was he looking for direction, orders? In a way, yes, but part of him was silently urging her to immediately go get parts so that he could be repaired tonight. His damages were making his power source inefficient. Normally he could go a full week going at full power without issue, but at the moment he estimated that it would only be a few days before he would run out of energy.
When Phoenix game him a rundown of what she was going to do, all Tae responded with at first was. “I understand.” A moment later though, before she exited the room, he continued, “I should-d-d-d inform you that until I am able to recharge myself, I will generally be in rest mode when you are not around or resting yourself. For f-f-future reference, simply say my name and I will turn back on, Mistress.”
Since he did not sleep and his eyes were still malfunctioning, when Phoenix returned after her shower with the intention of going to sleep, Tae’s eyes still let out a light blue glow that stood out against the dark room like a nightlight. “Rest well, Mistress Phoenix.” He too then leaned back, setting himself a timer and powering down for the time being, his eyes finally dimming again.
~~~~~
When Tae’s alarm went off, not audible since it was for his own use, his eyes flashed open to see that he had awoken first. Tae had no idea when Phoenix wanted to get up so he had planned on waking himself early to be sure he had everything done that he wanted to before she did. This meant that Tae proceeded to go through a slower inspection of his damages, slowing down even more than necessary so that he could keep his volume down and not wake her. He then organised the data, putting the damages and necessary tools into three categories. The lists being what was absolutely needed for him to function at the base level, what was needed to bring him back to prime condition, and what were luxuries that were not needed but probably wanted.
Tae proceeded to print out three pieces of paper with this information on them, shops within the city limits also included. It was a miracle that he had this function at all since even Tae would admit that having a printer within himself was rarely useful. Normally he could be there to verbally share the information or make a hologram of the information. Not in this case though. And since this printer was only sometimes used, the most he could do was print out flashcard sized papers with no color whatsoever. Tae did want to be useful more than just making a list or items and locations where they could be found, so he also took the time to print out coupon codes that could be used for some of the items. Most of them could be found through common means, emails and promotions, but there were a handful of coupons printed out that were sent out more exclusively but still completely legal. By the time he was done, there was a small stack of papers sitting on the couch besides him and once again Tae had powered himself down. The search had took some energy out of him but hopefully it would be helpful to his mistress during her activities that day.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
After lying down, Phoenix naturally began to reflect upon what had happened today. While some events at work did run through her mind, her thoughts mostly revolved around Tae - and specifically, some of the last things he had mentioned. If being tossed in the incinerator would not have destroyed him, what would it have taken to do so? Moreover, but why did the person who put him there not know that? Perhaps the plan was rushed and the alleyway behind her work was an unplanned detour. After briefly mulling over these facts, her focus shifted to her real concern: fixing Tae. If he was made of iridium and other expensive materials, would it even be possible for her to do so? And how long would it take her? When he brought up the fact that he would be in rest mode whenever not needed, she wondered how long he would have until his charge would deplete.
More importantly, what would happen when that did? Could he just be recharged and pick up where he left off, or would it even be like... 'dying'?
So many questions, but so little information or energy to address them. Nevertheless, they circled in Phoenix's head until she finally drifted off to sleep.
At 11:45am, her own alarm went off. Phoenix rolled over in her bed and swiped a finger up on her phone before letting her arm fall down so it hung off the side of her mattress. She let out a small sigh as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. It was always hard to get up after a late work night, even if she got a good rest. But if there was any day she couldn't afford to sleep in, it was today. She needed to get Tae in some sort of working order - sooner rather than later - and she needed time to do so. Hell, she needed time to even figure out how she was going to do that.
Without further delay, the dark-haired woman got out of bed and started to walk towards the bathroom, stretching her arms and yawning as she did. Once inside, Phoenix promptly got to her morning routine. After using the washroom she brushed her teeth, washed her face, went through her morning skincare routine, and applied her makeup. When she was finished in the bathroom, she went to the kitchen to have toast and coffee for breakfast; after finishing her meal in record time, she did her dishes and got changed into her street clothes.
Ready to start her business, she walked over to the couch and was about to sit down next to Tae when she saw the small stack of papers by his side. Frowning, the woman bent down and picked them up. She glanced through the first few on top and saw that they were coupons and promotions for certain parts. Phoenix's eyes widened. He had been able to find all of these things and print them out like this? "Holy shit," she said in quiet amazement as she made her way over to the small dining table near her kitchen. The woman began to look through the papers more closely, placing them on the table and eventually sorting them in piles as she went over them. Not only did he find ways for her to save money, but he even provided what she needed, where she could get them, and what exactly needed to be repaired - in order of priority, no less.
Once she had gone over everything, Phoenix sat back in her chair and stared at the little cards in awe. Tae had addressed all of her concerns without her even asking. She almost felt foolish for thinking so much about what she needed to do and how she was going to do it, but honestly? She felt too amazed to care. The power of technology was incredible. Although it wasn't like she didn't know about what PETs and robots could do these days, she supposed that seeing it first hand and having it benefit her personally gave her a more real appreciation for how advanced electronics had become. After all, she was still using a touch-screen smart phone, a laptop, and a small flat-screen television for all of her technological needs - which was all really old school stuff in this day and age.
Phoenix turned in her seat to look at Tae. She thought about powering him up to speak with him about this, but she quickly changed her mind. Such a frivolous conversation did not need to be had - not right now. Instead, she stood up and retrieved her laptop from where she stashed it on a small shelf by her bed. On her way back to the table she picked up a notepad and a pen. She plugged in her computer and powered it up as she sat back down. Once she was logged on, she opened her Internet browser and signed into her bank account. When Phoenix saw her balance, she pursed her lips. It was always disheartening to see how much - or really, how little - money she had stashed away, since she usually ended up getting pissed off about her idiot father and his ridiculous gambling problem. But this time she had a big enough task to distract herself from these thoughts.
She tore out a page from her notebook and began to write. Phoenix looked through Tae's data and began to write down everything that was necessary to get him back to a basic functioning level. Most of it were things she was familiar with and figured she may be able to get at a discount on, thanks to a few close friends who still worked at The PET Vet. The woman proceeded to find and then add up the prices of these materials after discounts and circled a total at the bottom of the page. It definitely wasn't cheap, but perhaps she could push for a few favours from those friends of hers - after all, a couple of them did owe her.
Once she had gone over these necessities, Phoenix repeated the process with the rest of his information. She was less familiar with some of the things needed to get him to optimal condition, but some of the luxury materials were things she had dealt with before. Eventually, she had two more approximate totals. Now, it was time to figure out just how much of this she might actually be able to afford. Looking back at her bank account, she began to subtract her rent, bills, and grocery budget for the next two months, and then added her projected amount of pay for the same time period. It was at this point that she had to think about her parents and their financial situation back home in China, as well. After a bit of deliberation, she subtracted another amount and looked at what was left.
There was enough to get Tae everything he needed to properly restore his basic functions, as well as some of the cheaper items from the other two categories if her friends were generous enough. If she subtracted her budgets for her luxury and beauty purchases she would have more, but also would be dangerously low on money if she were to run into some emergency. There was no way she would take out a loan and rack up debt of her own over this. Not only that, but there wasn't any urgent need to restore him completely. Thus, she decided she would just get what she could for the time being. He technically wasn't even hers, so what was the point in pouring all her money into him? Just getting him working well enough to help find his real owner would be sufficient. Then, maybe his true master - or mistress - could reimburse her. Or give her some reward money, even? ...A girl could dream, but she wasn't counting on it.
With all the budgeting done, now she just had to actually get to shopping. Phoenix stood up and retrieved her cell phone, tapping through it a few times before putting it to her ear. It was time to call in her first favour.
"Hey, it's Phoenix." She placed a hand on her hip and looked over at Tae as she spoke. "Do you have time today? I really could use your help."
It was 7:30pm by the time Phoenix was back at her apartment. She leaned against the wall of the elevator, each hand clutching a multitude of bags at her side. Across from her was a tall, husky man with a mop of messy brown hair, who was holding even more bags in each hand. "Thanks for doing this, Rhys. I owe you big time," she said as they arrived at her floor. He followed her as she walked out first and headed to her door.
"Well, I don't really mind, now that I actually get to see... well, him? It?" He adjusted his grip on the bags as Phoenix laid hers on the ground and retrieved her keys from her purse. "But yeah, that's enough for me... y'know I'm just a big nerd and all. I'm surprised Peter and all those others owed you so many favours though... what the heck did ya do even?"
Phoenix flashed him a little smirk as she opened the door and put her keys away. "Oh, you know... This and that." She picked up her share of the shopping bags again and went inside, pausing to slip off her shoes. The woman placed the bags on the floor in a big pile next to the couch where Tae was, with Rhys following suit. Sitting herself on the floor in front of the robot, she looked up at him with a small smile on her lips. Her friend stood behind her, arms folded across his chest as he watched the scene unfold. "Okay, Tae." She paused to allow him a second to power on. "I'm back. This is my friend Rhys, and we're going start repairing you." Phoenix felt a tiny flutter in her chest. It was strange, but she couldn't help but feel excited. She wasn't exactly sure why - she had helped fix countless PETs at her old job, and felt no joy in it whatsoever. This was really not much different, save for the fact that she had spent a lot of money instead of earning it.
Whatever the reason, none of it mattered right now. Phoenix brushed the thoughts away and began to extract her purchases from the bags. "Thank you for giving me all of that information, by the way," she added while she placed various parts on her floor. "It was incredible what you came up with. Not to mention insanely helpful."
Rhys, who had been staring at Tae in amazement, broke out of his trance and began to help. "Yeah, I mean... she made me drive all over the city, but we were pretty efficient, I'd say." He rolled up the empty bags and put them aside. "I wish we could've gotten every single thing you need, though."
When they had unpacked everything, Phoenix started to sort and organize them in separate piles according to their use. "Well, Phoenix isn't made of money over here. Besides, we'll still be able to restore all of your basic functions, and then some." Once satisfied with her sorting job, she sat back and tied her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. She looked back to Tae once more. "I remember you self-repaired yourself a little in the alley... are you able to help with more extensive work?"
More importantly, what would happen when that did? Could he just be recharged and pick up where he left off, or would it even be like... 'dying'?
So many questions, but so little information or energy to address them. Nevertheless, they circled in Phoenix's head until she finally drifted off to sleep.
At 11:45am, her own alarm went off. Phoenix rolled over in her bed and swiped a finger up on her phone before letting her arm fall down so it hung off the side of her mattress. She let out a small sigh as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. It was always hard to get up after a late work night, even if she got a good rest. But if there was any day she couldn't afford to sleep in, it was today. She needed to get Tae in some sort of working order - sooner rather than later - and she needed time to do so. Hell, she needed time to even figure out how she was going to do that.
Without further delay, the dark-haired woman got out of bed and started to walk towards the bathroom, stretching her arms and yawning as she did. Once inside, Phoenix promptly got to her morning routine. After using the washroom she brushed her teeth, washed her face, went through her morning skincare routine, and applied her makeup. When she was finished in the bathroom, she went to the kitchen to have toast and coffee for breakfast; after finishing her meal in record time, she did her dishes and got changed into her street clothes.
Ready to start her business, she walked over to the couch and was about to sit down next to Tae when she saw the small stack of papers by his side. Frowning, the woman bent down and picked them up. She glanced through the first few on top and saw that they were coupons and promotions for certain parts. Phoenix's eyes widened. He had been able to find all of these things and print them out like this? "Holy shit," she said in quiet amazement as she made her way over to the small dining table near her kitchen. The woman began to look through the papers more closely, placing them on the table and eventually sorting them in piles as she went over them. Not only did he find ways for her to save money, but he even provided what she needed, where she could get them, and what exactly needed to be repaired - in order of priority, no less.
Once she had gone over everything, Phoenix sat back in her chair and stared at the little cards in awe. Tae had addressed all of her concerns without her even asking. She almost felt foolish for thinking so much about what she needed to do and how she was going to do it, but honestly? She felt too amazed to care. The power of technology was incredible. Although it wasn't like she didn't know about what PETs and robots could do these days, she supposed that seeing it first hand and having it benefit her personally gave her a more real appreciation for how advanced electronics had become. After all, she was still using a touch-screen smart phone, a laptop, and a small flat-screen television for all of her technological needs - which was all really old school stuff in this day and age.
Phoenix turned in her seat to look at Tae. She thought about powering him up to speak with him about this, but she quickly changed her mind. Such a frivolous conversation did not need to be had - not right now. Instead, she stood up and retrieved her laptop from where she stashed it on a small shelf by her bed. On her way back to the table she picked up a notepad and a pen. She plugged in her computer and powered it up as she sat back down. Once she was logged on, she opened her Internet browser and signed into her bank account. When Phoenix saw her balance, she pursed her lips. It was always disheartening to see how much - or really, how little - money she had stashed away, since she usually ended up getting pissed off about her idiot father and his ridiculous gambling problem. But this time she had a big enough task to distract herself from these thoughts.
She tore out a page from her notebook and began to write. Phoenix looked through Tae's data and began to write down everything that was necessary to get him back to a basic functioning level. Most of it were things she was familiar with and figured she may be able to get at a discount on, thanks to a few close friends who still worked at The PET Vet. The woman proceeded to find and then add up the prices of these materials after discounts and circled a total at the bottom of the page. It definitely wasn't cheap, but perhaps she could push for a few favours from those friends of hers - after all, a couple of them did owe her.
Once she had gone over these necessities, Phoenix repeated the process with the rest of his information. She was less familiar with some of the things needed to get him to optimal condition, but some of the luxury materials were things she had dealt with before. Eventually, she had two more approximate totals. Now, it was time to figure out just how much of this she might actually be able to afford. Looking back at her bank account, she began to subtract her rent, bills, and grocery budget for the next two months, and then added her projected amount of pay for the same time period. It was at this point that she had to think about her parents and their financial situation back home in China, as well. After a bit of deliberation, she subtracted another amount and looked at what was left.
There was enough to get Tae everything he needed to properly restore his basic functions, as well as some of the cheaper items from the other two categories if her friends were generous enough. If she subtracted her budgets for her luxury and beauty purchases she would have more, but also would be dangerously low on money if she were to run into some emergency. There was no way she would take out a loan and rack up debt of her own over this. Not only that, but there wasn't any urgent need to restore him completely. Thus, she decided she would just get what she could for the time being. He technically wasn't even hers, so what was the point in pouring all her money into him? Just getting him working well enough to help find his real owner would be sufficient. Then, maybe his true master - or mistress - could reimburse her. Or give her some reward money, even? ...A girl could dream, but she wasn't counting on it.
With all the budgeting done, now she just had to actually get to shopping. Phoenix stood up and retrieved her cell phone, tapping through it a few times before putting it to her ear. It was time to call in her first favour.
"Hey, it's Phoenix." She placed a hand on her hip and looked over at Tae as she spoke. "Do you have time today? I really could use your help."
It was 7:30pm by the time Phoenix was back at her apartment. She leaned against the wall of the elevator, each hand clutching a multitude of bags at her side. Across from her was a tall, husky man with a mop of messy brown hair, who was holding even more bags in each hand. "Thanks for doing this, Rhys. I owe you big time," she said as they arrived at her floor. He followed her as she walked out first and headed to her door.
"Well, I don't really mind, now that I actually get to see... well, him? It?" He adjusted his grip on the bags as Phoenix laid hers on the ground and retrieved her keys from her purse. "But yeah, that's enough for me... y'know I'm just a big nerd and all. I'm surprised Peter and all those others owed you so many favours though... what the heck did ya do even?"
Phoenix flashed him a little smirk as she opened the door and put her keys away. "Oh, you know... This and that." She picked up her share of the shopping bags again and went inside, pausing to slip off her shoes. The woman placed the bags on the floor in a big pile next to the couch where Tae was, with Rhys following suit. Sitting herself on the floor in front of the robot, she looked up at him with a small smile on her lips. Her friend stood behind her, arms folded across his chest as he watched the scene unfold. "Okay, Tae." She paused to allow him a second to power on. "I'm back. This is my friend Rhys, and we're going start repairing you." Phoenix felt a tiny flutter in her chest. It was strange, but she couldn't help but feel excited. She wasn't exactly sure why - she had helped fix countless PETs at her old job, and felt no joy in it whatsoever. This was really not much different, save for the fact that she had spent a lot of money instead of earning it.
Whatever the reason, none of it mattered right now. Phoenix brushed the thoughts away and began to extract her purchases from the bags. "Thank you for giving me all of that information, by the way," she added while she placed various parts on her floor. "It was incredible what you came up with. Not to mention insanely helpful."
Rhys, who had been staring at Tae in amazement, broke out of his trance and began to help. "Yeah, I mean... she made me drive all over the city, but we were pretty efficient, I'd say." He rolled up the empty bags and put them aside. "I wish we could've gotten every single thing you need, though."
When they had unpacked everything, Phoenix started to sort and organize them in separate piles according to their use. "Well, Phoenix isn't made of money over here. Besides, we'll still be able to restore all of your basic functions, and then some." Once satisfied with her sorting job, she sat back and tied her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head. She looked back to Tae once more. "I remember you self-repaired yourself a little in the alley... are you able to help with more extensive work?"
Viper
One Thousand Club
Tae did not stir as Phoenix performed her morning routine. He was completely still, not even trying to feign that he was breathing. In fact, during the hours that his mistress was away Tae only opened his eyes for a full minute tops, powering on to see if there were any changes or problems in his immediate area and then going right back into rest mode.
When Phoenix and Rhys returned home and Tae heard his key phrase, his eyes snapped opened and seemed to immediately lock onto Phoenix. Any human would have been shocked to find someone standing so close in front of them when waking up, but Tae didn't even flinch. “Welcome home, Mis-mis-mistress Phoenix, Master Rhys.” The robot said, letting his glowing blue eyes flick between the pair. Although he did not smile, a sense of what only could be called relief washed over Tae at the mention of being repaired. “That is iontach news.” Meaning wonderful in Irish.
“And I’m glad those were of use to you. Since I could not come myself I wanted to be of some u-u-use. ” Tae muttered, watching to see what Pheonix removed from the bags. He was taking a mental catalogue of the items, checking things off of his personal repair list. Some of them were a bit lower in quality than he would have hoped, most of his inner and outer workings had been made from the highest quality materials, but he would have to made due with what they had. Better to have something that will not last forever than have nothing at all.
“This will be plenty-more than enough.” Tae responded to Rhys, “And I apologize for the d--d-d-drive, if I knew it would be a problem I would have narrowed down my search even further.” He did not speak of it further, but limiting himself down to just the city was an extra effort that he had taken. There were better or cheaper materials at the shops out of town, something that would have benefited both parties, but he figured that time that was a constraint. Apparently he had not taken enough into account when planning though.
Money was a problem, or at least that was what Phoenix seemed to imply. Tae had already guessed that money was not overflowing based solely on the fact that they were in an apartment, much of the tech in this room was outdated, and that it did not appear that Phoenix had her own car. It must have been worse than Tae thought if she was complaining about cost even after he had given her coupons and the like. The robot filed that information away for a later date. Perhaps he could get a job or funnel some money from someone else's accounts into hers… There were many ways for Tae to make money, and from just a simple search online, not all of the options available to him were legal.
But that was a problem for later, right now Tae needed to focus on the daunting task that was repairing his mysteriously damaged body. “Yes, of course” Tae responded as if being able to fix himself was the most basic thing in the world. He then proceeded to shift himself forward, it was awkward since he only had one working arm and no leg strength, but he managed to shimmy himself until he was sitting on the edge of the couch and his back was facing Phoenix. “If you hand me the-the proper tools, I can take care of fixing my legs. It’s probably for the best that I handle them anyway, I am going to have to open them up again and I don't want you to be electro-electrocu- elctro- shocked.”
“I will not be able to work on my voice box, eyes, or core processor however. They are out of my sight and reach. I can talk you through them if necessar-r-r-ry though.” At these words Tae poked at the base of his neck. The highly visible panel was severely crushed, it almost completely hanging off at this point and revealing a large grid of buttons, wires, displays and slots. Some aspects of the grid were chipped too, clearly hit with something heavy. “This is my main frame, everything that I am and can do comes from this area. Think of it as my heart and brain, if you would like. If I were completely repaired, this would still have my cover-skin on it, but it could be removed just by applying pressure to it. This is the only part of my body that fails to appear human at first glance. It is a sacrifice I am willing to make though because by keeping all of my functions in one location, it makes it so that the rest of me can be smooth and human like in appearance since nothing else typically needs to be opened for maintenance if it is all here.” Where this information was coming from was unknown but Tae trusted the information nonetheless. ”I suspect that my attackers knew this and struck me here first in order to take me out of commission.”
“If you approve, I would like to start on my legs while you repair my mainframe. My eyes, voice, and other arm can come later. Our first priorities should be making me appear as human as possible. We do not want everyone to know what really am, it could cause trouble for us both.” Tae did not explain why he said this, which was odd because he tended to over explain his reasonings like when he did with the mainframe. He quickly continued on as if he did not even recall saying such a cryptic thing, “Sadly, no shops seemed to have a waterproof skin covering of any kind and without replacement skin available, most-most-most of the repairs we are going to do will stay slightly or greatly visible depending on how careful we are with what skin remains. I put on the list a pair of long sleeve and pants to wear whenever I go out in public for this reason. You did get them, yes?”
With that, Tae leaned down and started messing with his legs once again. His main purpose this time, unlike in the alley, was to improve their strength. Unfortunately this meant replacing the ‘bones’ of the limbs as well as the shell the skin normally stuck on. He managed to peel off most of his skin without breaking it but it was at that point things got a bit messy. He had one hand, the other arms still broken beyond use, so he had been using his teeth to hold the tools or was balancing them on his legs. It was going far too slowly when the task itself was not very difficult. He could handle everything besides tearing off the old, mostly crushed shell since it needed two hands, one to take off the plate and the other to hold everything else that was normally inside of the shell in place. He also needed to put on the new metal sheet around the insides, at which point he could twist the metal into the proper shape that would work well with the balls inside his leg that helped make his motions so fluid. “Could one of you actually hhhhhhelp me with this part. All I need you to do is pop off my old leg and help set the new one. I can handle shaping it properly and putting the skin back on. If you have gloves I reckomend you wear them, I’ll be holding the wires so you should not get shocked but just in case your hands are unsteady and brush up against me…”
“Thank you, I can take it from here.” Tae commented once the job was done, quickly using his free hand to start pushing and smoothing out the metal so that it was probably shaped like a leg.
~~~~~
It was far past midnight by the time all of the major repairs were finished. Tae did what he could to help but many of the damages he could not see or reach, and even if he could, having one hand was not always enough. He was able to fully explain and direct the humans to what was wrong though, telling them if something was even slightly out of place. In the end, although much of his skin had to be removed, his holograms would still flicker on rare occasions, and his right arm was far from perfect, he was in amazing condition in comparison to what he was. His right arm was an exception to the repair job because, for one, no store sold the materials needed to fix a human sized robot with the flexibility of an acrobat, and two, the very design of his joints were highly complex and intricate. It was not as simple as a job as just replacing a part or two, it would take a master to repair such a complex joint. His arm could move now, it just did so in a robotic way that was apparently not going anywhere.
Tae could feel his charge getting down to dangerous levels but he was no longer worried, he could charge himself now! And better yet, he could move! Unsteadily, as if he was not sure if his repairs were enough, Tae pushed himself off the couch and onto his legs. He wobbled for a minute before a grin stretched onto Tae’s face, the first smile he showed since getting thrown into the alleyway. “Back to normal…” He muttered to himself, the brief smile vanishing as if was never there at all as he reached down to touch his toes, then leaned backwards into a bridge/ backbend. He was testing himself, to see what his body could still do in terms of flexibility. It was as he did these things that it became truly apparent how thin Tae was as well as the fact that his legs were oddly long. They seemed to go on forever and accounted for the bulk of his height. It was a strange design choice, but it did not make him stand out in a crowd more than his perfectly pale skin or naturally makeup bearing face.
Once his yoga like session was finished, Tae turned back to the humans with a pleased nod and a formal bow, his head down and waist bent. “Thank you for the help, Mistress Phoenix and Master Rhys. I will be able to serve you both much better from here on out.” With the vocal box issue repaired, Tae sounded fully human. No stuttering, no autotune, just a human who sounded rather bored. “Speaking of, for future use, I would like to register both of your PET information if you would allow it.” This was basically his way of asking for Rhns and Phoenix's phone number, email, and skype number. In the new age where nearly everyone had a PET of some form, this was how people contacted one another and Tae wanted to be sure that he could get in touch with them both even if he was not with them.
I was possible for him to do with without permission or physical contact due to him having a few wireless skill sets that were probably an invasion of privacy, but manners dictated that he should not take down other peoples PET information without asking first or ordered to do so. So it was not the moral or legal barrier that stopped him from just taking their information, it was manners.
When Phoenix and Rhys returned home and Tae heard his key phrase, his eyes snapped opened and seemed to immediately lock onto Phoenix. Any human would have been shocked to find someone standing so close in front of them when waking up, but Tae didn't even flinch. “Welcome home, Mis-mis-mistress Phoenix, Master Rhys.” The robot said, letting his glowing blue eyes flick between the pair. Although he did not smile, a sense of what only could be called relief washed over Tae at the mention of being repaired. “That is iontach news.” Meaning wonderful in Irish.
“And I’m glad those were of use to you. Since I could not come myself I wanted to be of some u-u-use. ” Tae muttered, watching to see what Pheonix removed from the bags. He was taking a mental catalogue of the items, checking things off of his personal repair list. Some of them were a bit lower in quality than he would have hoped, most of his inner and outer workings had been made from the highest quality materials, but he would have to made due with what they had. Better to have something that will not last forever than have nothing at all.
“This will be plenty-more than enough.” Tae responded to Rhys, “And I apologize for the d--d-d-drive, if I knew it would be a problem I would have narrowed down my search even further.” He did not speak of it further, but limiting himself down to just the city was an extra effort that he had taken. There were better or cheaper materials at the shops out of town, something that would have benefited both parties, but he figured that time that was a constraint. Apparently he had not taken enough into account when planning though.
Money was a problem, or at least that was what Phoenix seemed to imply. Tae had already guessed that money was not overflowing based solely on the fact that they were in an apartment, much of the tech in this room was outdated, and that it did not appear that Phoenix had her own car. It must have been worse than Tae thought if she was complaining about cost even after he had given her coupons and the like. The robot filed that information away for a later date. Perhaps he could get a job or funnel some money from someone else's accounts into hers… There were many ways for Tae to make money, and from just a simple search online, not all of the options available to him were legal.
But that was a problem for later, right now Tae needed to focus on the daunting task that was repairing his mysteriously damaged body. “Yes, of course” Tae responded as if being able to fix himself was the most basic thing in the world. He then proceeded to shift himself forward, it was awkward since he only had one working arm and no leg strength, but he managed to shimmy himself until he was sitting on the edge of the couch and his back was facing Phoenix. “If you hand me the-the proper tools, I can take care of fixing my legs. It’s probably for the best that I handle them anyway, I am going to have to open them up again and I don't want you to be electro-electrocu- elctro- shocked.”
“I will not be able to work on my voice box, eyes, or core processor however. They are out of my sight and reach. I can talk you through them if necessar-r-r-ry though.” At these words Tae poked at the base of his neck. The highly visible panel was severely crushed, it almost completely hanging off at this point and revealing a large grid of buttons, wires, displays and slots. Some aspects of the grid were chipped too, clearly hit with something heavy. “This is my main frame, everything that I am and can do comes from this area. Think of it as my heart and brain, if you would like. If I were completely repaired, this would still have my cover-skin on it, but it could be removed just by applying pressure to it. This is the only part of my body that fails to appear human at first glance. It is a sacrifice I am willing to make though because by keeping all of my functions in one location, it makes it so that the rest of me can be smooth and human like in appearance since nothing else typically needs to be opened for maintenance if it is all here.” Where this information was coming from was unknown but Tae trusted the information nonetheless. ”I suspect that my attackers knew this and struck me here first in order to take me out of commission.”
“If you approve, I would like to start on my legs while you repair my mainframe. My eyes, voice, and other arm can come later. Our first priorities should be making me appear as human as possible. We do not want everyone to know what really am, it could cause trouble for us both.” Tae did not explain why he said this, which was odd because he tended to over explain his reasonings like when he did with the mainframe. He quickly continued on as if he did not even recall saying such a cryptic thing, “Sadly, no shops seemed to have a waterproof skin covering of any kind and without replacement skin available, most-most-most of the repairs we are going to do will stay slightly or greatly visible depending on how careful we are with what skin remains. I put on the list a pair of long sleeve and pants to wear whenever I go out in public for this reason. You did get them, yes?”
With that, Tae leaned down and started messing with his legs once again. His main purpose this time, unlike in the alley, was to improve their strength. Unfortunately this meant replacing the ‘bones’ of the limbs as well as the shell the skin normally stuck on. He managed to peel off most of his skin without breaking it but it was at that point things got a bit messy. He had one hand, the other arms still broken beyond use, so he had been using his teeth to hold the tools or was balancing them on his legs. It was going far too slowly when the task itself was not very difficult. He could handle everything besides tearing off the old, mostly crushed shell since it needed two hands, one to take off the plate and the other to hold everything else that was normally inside of the shell in place. He also needed to put on the new metal sheet around the insides, at which point he could twist the metal into the proper shape that would work well with the balls inside his leg that helped make his motions so fluid. “Could one of you actually hhhhhhelp me with this part. All I need you to do is pop off my old leg and help set the new one. I can handle shaping it properly and putting the skin back on. If you have gloves I reckomend you wear them, I’ll be holding the wires so you should not get shocked but just in case your hands are unsteady and brush up against me…”
“Thank you, I can take it from here.” Tae commented once the job was done, quickly using his free hand to start pushing and smoothing out the metal so that it was probably shaped like a leg.
~~~~~
It was far past midnight by the time all of the major repairs were finished. Tae did what he could to help but many of the damages he could not see or reach, and even if he could, having one hand was not always enough. He was able to fully explain and direct the humans to what was wrong though, telling them if something was even slightly out of place. In the end, although much of his skin had to be removed, his holograms would still flicker on rare occasions, and his right arm was far from perfect, he was in amazing condition in comparison to what he was. His right arm was an exception to the repair job because, for one, no store sold the materials needed to fix a human sized robot with the flexibility of an acrobat, and two, the very design of his joints were highly complex and intricate. It was not as simple as a job as just replacing a part or two, it would take a master to repair such a complex joint. His arm could move now, it just did so in a robotic way that was apparently not going anywhere.
Tae could feel his charge getting down to dangerous levels but he was no longer worried, he could charge himself now! And better yet, he could move! Unsteadily, as if he was not sure if his repairs were enough, Tae pushed himself off the couch and onto his legs. He wobbled for a minute before a grin stretched onto Tae’s face, the first smile he showed since getting thrown into the alleyway. “Back to normal…” He muttered to himself, the brief smile vanishing as if was never there at all as he reached down to touch his toes, then leaned backwards into a bridge/ backbend. He was testing himself, to see what his body could still do in terms of flexibility. It was as he did these things that it became truly apparent how thin Tae was as well as the fact that his legs were oddly long. They seemed to go on forever and accounted for the bulk of his height. It was a strange design choice, but it did not make him stand out in a crowd more than his perfectly pale skin or naturally makeup bearing face.
Once his yoga like session was finished, Tae turned back to the humans with a pleased nod and a formal bow, his head down and waist bent. “Thank you for the help, Mistress Phoenix and Master Rhys. I will be able to serve you both much better from here on out.” With the vocal box issue repaired, Tae sounded fully human. No stuttering, no autotune, just a human who sounded rather bored. “Speaking of, for future use, I would like to register both of your PET information if you would allow it.” This was basically his way of asking for Rhns and Phoenix's phone number, email, and skype number. In the new age where nearly everyone had a PET of some form, this was how people contacted one another and Tae wanted to be sure that he could get in touch with them both even if he was not with them.
I was possible for him to do with without permission or physical contact due to him having a few wireless skill sets that were probably an invasion of privacy, but manners dictated that he should not take down other peoples PET information without asking first or ordered to do so. So it was not the moral or legal barrier that stopped him from just taking their information, it was manners.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
As Tae powered on, Rhys arched his brows, his eyes widened. Meanwhile, Phoenix frowned a little and reminded herself to see if Tae could not call her Mistress after all was said and done. But she thought little else of it as she continued on unpacking the things they had bought. When Tae apologized, she waved her hand dismissively. "No need to apologize, Tae. Rhys loves driving me around. Besides, it was necessary." The woman flashed a small smirk towards her friend, who merely stuck his tongue out at her.
Their friendly jesting quickly came to a close once the subject came to how much Tae could help them in repairs. When the android confirmed - with a sort of confidence, even - that he could help repair himself, Phoenix felt a bit of relief wash over her. It had been some time since she worked at The PET Vet, so her skills in working with such machinery were rusty as they were. Even then, the technology in the field had made significant advancements that she was not very familiar with. This was her reasoning for bringing Rhys, who still worked at The PET Vet and was something of an enthusiast who tinkered with the machines in his spare time. But even then, Tae was obviously one of the most advanced robots around - certainly more advanced than anything Rhys had access to anywhere. Needless to say, it was good that he would be able to direct them through the finer steps of the process.
The pair watched as Tae clumsily repositioned himself on the couch so his back was facing them instead. Rhys moved to try and help, but stopped when Phoenix put out her hand and shook her head. "Let him," she said shortly before the robot instructed her to provide him with the tools necessary to repair his legs. With a small nod, she began to gather up what he would need. As Tae brought their attention to the back of his neck, Rhys moved in and kneeled behind him, studying the area in question. The man nodded slowly as the robot spoke. His brow was tightly knit and his lips were pulled into a frown but his eyes were alight with fascination.
"Man... whoever did this should be punished," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head slowly. "And whoever made you should be famous."
Phoenix agreed, but said nothing towards the matter as she stood up and handed Tae what he would need to do better work on his legs. "Of course, go ahead and start. Rhys and I can work on what you can't; and we'll ask you if we need help." Once she gave the tools to the robot, she sat next to Rhys and took a closer look at the smashed-up panel at the back of Tae's neck. It seemed like quick and dirty work. She wondered if his attackers were fuelled by rage or simply by panic when they did this. As she listened to him continue speaking, she couldn't help but revisit questions that kept looming over her head. What exactly was he? Who made him, and who did he really belong to? And of course, who did this to him and why?
Obviously, none of them knew and were in no position to know. But the longer she was with Tae, and the more she did for him, the more she wondered just what she was getting herself into. More importantly, she wondered how exactly she would be finding out the answers to those questions.
Perhaps luckily for her, Tae's question about his clothing brought her distraction from these thoughts. Without skipping a beat, she replied, "Of course. You're going to look good in them, too." Picking out something for him to wear had actually been her favourite part of the whole trip - and Rhys's least. "I'll show you afterwards. But let's get started." The woman turned to her friend, who nodded and proceeded to get to work, while Tae did the same. At the beginning, Phoenix worked on the major external damages. She was less of an expert on the finer wiring and repairs, so the pair agreed that she would deal with the simpler things so that Rhys could save his energy and focus for the tasks that only he could do. Occasionally, the pair asked Tae a question or for clarification before continuing on. Generally speaking though, Phoenix was rather surprised at how much they were able to accomplish with their knowledge alone.
When Tae asked for some help with his legs, Rhys was completely absorbed in his task, which left Phoenix to assist. "Sure, just a second." She put on gloves as directed and - after a fair bit of struggle - popped off the old appendage and assisted in replacing it with the new one. It felt somewhat surreal to be working with something that looked so much like a human lim, and to be handling it in such a rough manner. Probably what I would've been doing in med school, she thought, stepping back once the job was done.
As the trio worked, time seemed to pass abnormally quickly. One hour passed in what felt like five minutes; two in what felt like ten. Before she knew it, it was just about 1:30am by the time all was said and done. At this point, Phoenix had taken a seat on her bed, sipping a beer leisurely, while Rhys remained on the floor near the couch with a glass of water. An open, nearly empty bag of chips was on the table near by. It took quite a bit of teamwork, troubleshooting, and tweaking, but they had completed all the major tasks. From where she sat, Phoenix studied Tae intently. He was right about needing the clothes - he would definitely stick out like a sore thumb, with so much of his skin-like covering taken off. Still, while he wasn't in perfect condition, she felt a bit proud of what they had been able to do with the time they had, and with the budget and tools available to them.
She watched silently as he hesitantly get up from the couch like a calf taking its first steps. When she saw the smile spread across Tae's face, she couldn't help but do the same - though she was quite surprised that he could change his expression at all. At the same time, Rhys turned back and looked at her for a moment, shock and amazement on his face, before he got to his feet as well. Tae's smile disappeared as quickly as it had formed as he touched his toes, and then bent backwards on the floor. "Whoa, look at you!" Rhys laughed, taking a step backwards to give Tae some room. "Yoga master Tae has been restored. Maybe that's your true function." Phoenix laughed shortly at her friend's lame joke as she got off her bed and navigated around the sea of packaging and tools to stand next to them both.
Once Tae bowed and demonstrated his newly repaired speech functions, Phoenix felt herself grinning once more. There was definitely something fulfilling about taking something broken and making it new again. Or, semi-new, she supposed. Especially when it was a high-tech robot she found in a freaking dumpster. When Tae asked for their PET information, Rhys perked up excitedly. "Oh, 'course I would!" He shared his information excitedly, as if he were a child making a new friend at a playground. Once he was finished, Phoenix walked over to where she had her cell phone and tapped it a few times.
"I don't have a PET, but here's my info." Phoenix read it out to him and took another swig of her beer once she was finished. Her cheeks were lightly pink, the drunkenness slowly becoming apparent on her skin. Placing her drink on the table next to her phone, she went over to a bag and pulled out a long-sleeved, navy shirt and black, somewhat form-fitting pants. The woman made her way over to Tae and held them up. "These are what I got you. Dark colours suit you best, with your pale skin and your hair." She was about to add that she hoped he liked them, but she realized he probably didn't have a preference towards these things. Thinking on this, she wondered if she should have gotten him something more outlandish instead, just for laughs - then again, it wasn't like she had money to waste on a joke. "Here, wear them whenever you see fit. They're yours now." Phoenix handed them to Tae with a small smile. "Now, I want to address two things: one" - she held up her index finger - "you haven't really been cleaned since having trash thrown on you. What's the best way to do that?"
She then held up another finger. "And two - please don't call me Mistress. Maybe don't call anyone Master or Mistress in public, if we want you to blend in."
By this time, Rhys sat down on the floor again. "That's probably a good idea... seems like it'd be a little suspicious. Or at the very least, a little perverse." He finished his glass of water before placing it on the ground next to him. "Actually, Tae, I had a thought... your ownership was deleted, right? What if you put Phoenix as your owner... just in case? I mean, for all we know, your real owner could be gone. And if something happens to you again, you might be in the same position all over. Unless I'm wrong?" The man looked between Tae and Phoenix. In response, she woman gave a small shrug. It was fairly simple to do that with PETs, but Tae was something much more so she wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't quite so straightforward with him.
"Now that he's in better shape, we should try and find Tae's rightful owner." Phoenix strolled back over to her drink and sat down at the table. She took another sip. "Seems somewhat presumptuous to put myself down, but I see your point." The dark-haired woman swirled her drink around idly as she turned her gaze towards the newly repaired robot. "Tae, what do you want to do?" She supposed it wasn't necessary to ask him his opinion or desires - after all, she had just assumed he had no opinion about clothing. But somehow, it just felt natural to ask and see what he thought about something more important, like who he registered his owner as. Perhaps some subconscious part of her wanted to find out just what the limits of his artificial intelligence were, exactly.
Their friendly jesting quickly came to a close once the subject came to how much Tae could help them in repairs. When the android confirmed - with a sort of confidence, even - that he could help repair himself, Phoenix felt a bit of relief wash over her. It had been some time since she worked at The PET Vet, so her skills in working with such machinery were rusty as they were. Even then, the technology in the field had made significant advancements that she was not very familiar with. This was her reasoning for bringing Rhys, who still worked at The PET Vet and was something of an enthusiast who tinkered with the machines in his spare time. But even then, Tae was obviously one of the most advanced robots around - certainly more advanced than anything Rhys had access to anywhere. Needless to say, it was good that he would be able to direct them through the finer steps of the process.
The pair watched as Tae clumsily repositioned himself on the couch so his back was facing them instead. Rhys moved to try and help, but stopped when Phoenix put out her hand and shook her head. "Let him," she said shortly before the robot instructed her to provide him with the tools necessary to repair his legs. With a small nod, she began to gather up what he would need. As Tae brought their attention to the back of his neck, Rhys moved in and kneeled behind him, studying the area in question. The man nodded slowly as the robot spoke. His brow was tightly knit and his lips were pulled into a frown but his eyes were alight with fascination.
"Man... whoever did this should be punished," he mumbled to himself, shaking his head slowly. "And whoever made you should be famous."
Phoenix agreed, but said nothing towards the matter as she stood up and handed Tae what he would need to do better work on his legs. "Of course, go ahead and start. Rhys and I can work on what you can't; and we'll ask you if we need help." Once she gave the tools to the robot, she sat next to Rhys and took a closer look at the smashed-up panel at the back of Tae's neck. It seemed like quick and dirty work. She wondered if his attackers were fuelled by rage or simply by panic when they did this. As she listened to him continue speaking, she couldn't help but revisit questions that kept looming over her head. What exactly was he? Who made him, and who did he really belong to? And of course, who did this to him and why?
Obviously, none of them knew and were in no position to know. But the longer she was with Tae, and the more she did for him, the more she wondered just what she was getting herself into. More importantly, she wondered how exactly she would be finding out the answers to those questions.
Perhaps luckily for her, Tae's question about his clothing brought her distraction from these thoughts. Without skipping a beat, she replied, "Of course. You're going to look good in them, too." Picking out something for him to wear had actually been her favourite part of the whole trip - and Rhys's least. "I'll show you afterwards. But let's get started." The woman turned to her friend, who nodded and proceeded to get to work, while Tae did the same. At the beginning, Phoenix worked on the major external damages. She was less of an expert on the finer wiring and repairs, so the pair agreed that she would deal with the simpler things so that Rhys could save his energy and focus for the tasks that only he could do. Occasionally, the pair asked Tae a question or for clarification before continuing on. Generally speaking though, Phoenix was rather surprised at how much they were able to accomplish with their knowledge alone.
When Tae asked for some help with his legs, Rhys was completely absorbed in his task, which left Phoenix to assist. "Sure, just a second." She put on gloves as directed and - after a fair bit of struggle - popped off the old appendage and assisted in replacing it with the new one. It felt somewhat surreal to be working with something that looked so much like a human lim, and to be handling it in such a rough manner. Probably what I would've been doing in med school, she thought, stepping back once the job was done.
As the trio worked, time seemed to pass abnormally quickly. One hour passed in what felt like five minutes; two in what felt like ten. Before she knew it, it was just about 1:30am by the time all was said and done. At this point, Phoenix had taken a seat on her bed, sipping a beer leisurely, while Rhys remained on the floor near the couch with a glass of water. An open, nearly empty bag of chips was on the table near by. It took quite a bit of teamwork, troubleshooting, and tweaking, but they had completed all the major tasks. From where she sat, Phoenix studied Tae intently. He was right about needing the clothes - he would definitely stick out like a sore thumb, with so much of his skin-like covering taken off. Still, while he wasn't in perfect condition, she felt a bit proud of what they had been able to do with the time they had, and with the budget and tools available to them.
She watched silently as he hesitantly get up from the couch like a calf taking its first steps. When she saw the smile spread across Tae's face, she couldn't help but do the same - though she was quite surprised that he could change his expression at all. At the same time, Rhys turned back and looked at her for a moment, shock and amazement on his face, before he got to his feet as well. Tae's smile disappeared as quickly as it had formed as he touched his toes, and then bent backwards on the floor. "Whoa, look at you!" Rhys laughed, taking a step backwards to give Tae some room. "Yoga master Tae has been restored. Maybe that's your true function." Phoenix laughed shortly at her friend's lame joke as she got off her bed and navigated around the sea of packaging and tools to stand next to them both.
Once Tae bowed and demonstrated his newly repaired speech functions, Phoenix felt herself grinning once more. There was definitely something fulfilling about taking something broken and making it new again. Or, semi-new, she supposed. Especially when it was a high-tech robot she found in a freaking dumpster. When Tae asked for their PET information, Rhys perked up excitedly. "Oh, 'course I would!" He shared his information excitedly, as if he were a child making a new friend at a playground. Once he was finished, Phoenix walked over to where she had her cell phone and tapped it a few times.
"I don't have a PET, but here's my info." Phoenix read it out to him and took another swig of her beer once she was finished. Her cheeks were lightly pink, the drunkenness slowly becoming apparent on her skin. Placing her drink on the table next to her phone, she went over to a bag and pulled out a long-sleeved, navy shirt and black, somewhat form-fitting pants. The woman made her way over to Tae and held them up. "These are what I got you. Dark colours suit you best, with your pale skin and your hair." She was about to add that she hoped he liked them, but she realized he probably didn't have a preference towards these things. Thinking on this, she wondered if she should have gotten him something more outlandish instead, just for laughs - then again, it wasn't like she had money to waste on a joke. "Here, wear them whenever you see fit. They're yours now." Phoenix handed them to Tae with a small smile. "Now, I want to address two things: one" - she held up her index finger - "you haven't really been cleaned since having trash thrown on you. What's the best way to do that?"
She then held up another finger. "And two - please don't call me Mistress. Maybe don't call anyone Master or Mistress in public, if we want you to blend in."
By this time, Rhys sat down on the floor again. "That's probably a good idea... seems like it'd be a little suspicious. Or at the very least, a little perverse." He finished his glass of water before placing it on the ground next to him. "Actually, Tae, I had a thought... your ownership was deleted, right? What if you put Phoenix as your owner... just in case? I mean, for all we know, your real owner could be gone. And if something happens to you again, you might be in the same position all over. Unless I'm wrong?" The man looked between Tae and Phoenix. In response, she woman gave a small shrug. It was fairly simple to do that with PETs, but Tae was something much more so she wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't quite so straightforward with him.
"Now that he's in better shape, we should try and find Tae's rightful owner." Phoenix strolled back over to her drink and sat down at the table. She took another sip. "Seems somewhat presumptuous to put myself down, but I see your point." The dark-haired woman swirled her drink around idly as she turned her gaze towards the newly repaired robot. "Tae, what do you want to do?" She supposed it wasn't necessary to ask him his opinion or desires - after all, she had just assumed he had no opinion about clothing. But somehow, it just felt natural to ask and see what he thought about something more important, like who he registered his owner as. Perhaps some subconscious part of her wanted to find out just what the limits of his artificial intelligence were, exactly.
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Viper
One Thousand Club
“Yes, I agree…. Assuming those two things have not happened already” Tae respond to the comment Rhys made about his attacker deserving to be punished and his creator being famous. Although there was no information about his ‘kind’ on any public websites or in stores, meaning that as far as Tae could guess he was one of a kind, it made logical sense that his creator had to have had training in the field and money to spare based on his own quality. And men of skill, especially in such a new and life changing invention, were famous. As for his attackers… Tae had no reason to assume his attackers had anything unfortunate happen to them besides the fact that they were stupid. Stupid people got hurt easier, it was as simple as that.
~~~~~~
“No, yoga is not my true function. I am here to serve in whatever way I am commanded, nothing more.” Tae immediately responded when Rhys joked about his flexibility. Yet the robot failed to notice his tone and instead took him literally, “Although I suppose if I was given the task I could….” The sentence trailed off as he looked between the pair and their laughter. Why were they laughing? It did not look like anything was tickling them and nothing catastrophic had happened that may have made them lose their sanity, so why such a strange reaction? Tae could understand to an extent if Phoenix was laughing at Rhys for making such a foolish statement about his purpose, but the man was laughing a bit as well. Could it be sleep deprivation? Although you couldn't hear it anymore, from the way his eyes kept flicking between the two it was not hard to figuratively see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out what would cause anyone to laugh. “Ah, that was a joke. You were not being serious.” He eventually started before nodding, either to congratulate himself at figuring that out all by himself or simply to acknowledge that the joke happened.
When Rhys eagerly agreed to share his contact information, Tae also felt a sense of eagerness. With fresh data banks newly installed within him, they were naturally completely empty. In an odd way, this made Tae feel empty as well. It was not something he could explain, but since he was not alive and the closest thing he had to a soul was the internet, when he could not connect to the internet for whatever reason, it was nice to have something inside of him even then. Gaining information, to put it simply, made up for Tae’s lack of spirituality in both the literal and figurative sense.
Quickly, the humanoid robot cataloged the new data, making no movements besides artificial blinking and breathing. He had begun to make a new file for a new contact when Phoenix pulled out her phone. Not PET, phone. It’s not that he had not noticed the old fashioned items around her home but he didn't think she was that much of an antic collector and/or poor. Despite his disgust at his ancestry, he put down the information associated with it, but all the while he looked with a raised eyebrow at the thing in her hand. It was almost pitiable if he were capable of feeling such an emotion. To live in this world but with near prehistoric technology…. Well, she was lucky anything still supported it. How she got anything done was the real mystery to the robot but other than the single raised eyebrow that seemed to be saying ‘really? This is what you use to communicate?’, Tae said nothing on it.
The all too telling eyebrow relaxed as the topic changed to clothing. It’s not that he was a fashionista or anything, but he knew that appearances mattered, and the quality of clothing changed people's opinions easily. It was a science. The fact that on his face were features that could only be accomplished by makeup supported this. Tea took hold of the clothing and held it up to the light rather than his body before nodding, “Yes, thank you. These should do nicely.” He continued to agree with Phoenix's clothing choice as, right in the middle of the room with two people’s eyes on him, he proceeded to change from his dirty and tattered clothing into the new ones. It was a blessing that Tea was wearing a simple pair of black briefs because as he was showing in that moment, besides the panel on the back of his neck, everything about him was like a normal male human.
“Dark colors do indeed suit me more. These will look better on me than any suit would.” It took him only a minute to change before he moved towards the kitchen and threw away the old scraps of cloth he once would have called high quality clothing. Which now that you looked at it, no longer attached to the far more impressive robot, was a simple white button up and dress pants. It seemed like the offhand comment referred to his old clothing which Tae was assuming used to be part of a suit. A white button up and dress pants did not automatically mean he was wearing a formal uniforms but the word suit flew out anyway. Tea paused as he noticed his own word use. Running through his data banks for any information on suits yielded nothing so he moved on. He had no reason to mention it if it was not in his data so unless someone else did, he was not going to draw attention to the observation.
“Right. I probably should have cleaned up before changing.” Tae realized his mistake quickly, but now that his other clothing was in the trash and these clothes were on a trash infected body, it was too late to change anything. “I apologize, I failed to remember that I too need to bathe.” He knew that humans often did so to prevent infections and to attract partners, but since he need not worry about either of those things since he was not human, the idea that he had to do so passed over his head. “I dare not actually take a bath or shower with so much of my covering missing. Extensive rain may also be a possible problem in the future as well…” The musings were cut short when Tae lifted his hands up to examine the thankfully undamaged skin, “I suppose I should simply wash myself with a rag to be on the safe side. I can wash these clothes again while I am at it.”
Tae’s expressionless face twisted slightly into confusion at the mention of them not wanting to be called master and mistress. His brows were creased as the robot continued, “If I do not call you master and mistress what should I call you? Mr. Rhys and Miss Phoenix? ” He questioned as if the request was something ridiculous. It was fairly common for PETs to refer to their owners by master, mistress, Mr., miss, and some people had even made special requests like my lord, majesty, or even goddess. Many owners were just called by their names too, but it was a bit more rare due to the subservient nature of PETs as a whole. “I do not want to stand out if I can help it nor do I want to be… persevere.” Making his masters unhappy was also not apart of his plan either.
“That is correct. I have no records about my previous owner or any record of anything that could help me track him down.” Tae confirmed this, wishing that it was not the case. It was far easier and more efficient to serve one person than any human he is around at the time. Although Tae wanted to share his input on who should be his owner, he kept his mouth shut. It was far from his place to determine who he served. Instead, he waited until he was granted permission to share. “It would make the most sense if Mis- I mean, just Phoenix became my owner.” He corrected himself as he spoke to the room rather than one person specifically, almost saying mistress again. “Phoenix has the most to gain from my presence. The two main improvements being that she will get a large jump ahead when it comes to a technological upgrade and I can also assist her in gaining more money which she clearly needs. On another matter, I already know my way here and to her work, it was her money that paid for most of my repairs as I recall, and she was also there from the start so if finding my old owner is the goal, she has a larger chance at doing so than Rhys who I just met hours ago.”
“I feel I like should mention this…” Tae paused suddenly, his light blue eyes went from normal to one blink later glowing, but not just that. Like a projector, his eyes created a rectangle hovering two feet in front of his line of sight, the image slightly pixelated and slightly transparent but it was interactive to the touch. The outline was the same shade of blue as his glowing eyes but the insides had color like any computer screen. This was state of the art hologram technology which was often seen in PET’s. It was not a surprise that he could do this, most PET’s had interactive hologram technology since it was not like they had keyboards or actual screens hidden under fur and/or skin. This was the only way to make them replace computers and was largely the reason they were expensive.
The image that Tae displayed was a classic PET ownership contract at first glance, but upon looking over it closely, there were a few things missing and even completely blacked out. Such things like manufacturing company, insurance, and what provider he was under (sort of like how phones were registered under companies like At&T and Sprint) were completely missing from the sheet. “This is not an accident on my part or caused by the damages at least as far as I can tell. As you can see, when it comes to me, it is impossible to actually put in information in some of these spots. Such as Model number, even though that area is not blacked out and blank, it will not let me write anything there. Instead, it claims that my model number is already added and cannot be changed without a inserting a password. But it will not interfere with us assigning an owner to me.”
This new information was odd. Why would someone put a password lock on his model number so that it could not be changed but not the name of his owner? Were they more worried about information leaking that losing track of Tae? The robot couldn't help but muse about these thoughts, still displaying the sheet that was more for Tae than anyone apparently. After all, he was already strange for existing when public technology was below him, but now it seemed like he was completely off the grid when it came to PET documentation and that steps had been made to keep him off that grid. It was as if someone did not want police to find him, and if they did, they did not want him to be tracked back to them. Just who owned Tae before he was attacked?
~~~~~~
“No, yoga is not my true function. I am here to serve in whatever way I am commanded, nothing more.” Tae immediately responded when Rhys joked about his flexibility. Yet the robot failed to notice his tone and instead took him literally, “Although I suppose if I was given the task I could….” The sentence trailed off as he looked between the pair and their laughter. Why were they laughing? It did not look like anything was tickling them and nothing catastrophic had happened that may have made them lose their sanity, so why such a strange reaction? Tae could understand to an extent if Phoenix was laughing at Rhys for making such a foolish statement about his purpose, but the man was laughing a bit as well. Could it be sleep deprivation? Although you couldn't hear it anymore, from the way his eyes kept flicking between the two it was not hard to figuratively see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out what would cause anyone to laugh. “Ah, that was a joke. You were not being serious.” He eventually started before nodding, either to congratulate himself at figuring that out all by himself or simply to acknowledge that the joke happened.
When Rhys eagerly agreed to share his contact information, Tae also felt a sense of eagerness. With fresh data banks newly installed within him, they were naturally completely empty. In an odd way, this made Tae feel empty as well. It was not something he could explain, but since he was not alive and the closest thing he had to a soul was the internet, when he could not connect to the internet for whatever reason, it was nice to have something inside of him even then. Gaining information, to put it simply, made up for Tae’s lack of spirituality in both the literal and figurative sense.
Quickly, the humanoid robot cataloged the new data, making no movements besides artificial blinking and breathing. He had begun to make a new file for a new contact when Phoenix pulled out her phone. Not PET, phone. It’s not that he had not noticed the old fashioned items around her home but he didn't think she was that much of an antic collector and/or poor. Despite his disgust at his ancestry, he put down the information associated with it, but all the while he looked with a raised eyebrow at the thing in her hand. It was almost pitiable if he were capable of feeling such an emotion. To live in this world but with near prehistoric technology…. Well, she was lucky anything still supported it. How she got anything done was the real mystery to the robot but other than the single raised eyebrow that seemed to be saying ‘really? This is what you use to communicate?’, Tae said nothing on it.
The all too telling eyebrow relaxed as the topic changed to clothing. It’s not that he was a fashionista or anything, but he knew that appearances mattered, and the quality of clothing changed people's opinions easily. It was a science. The fact that on his face were features that could only be accomplished by makeup supported this. Tea took hold of the clothing and held it up to the light rather than his body before nodding, “Yes, thank you. These should do nicely.” He continued to agree with Phoenix's clothing choice as, right in the middle of the room with two people’s eyes on him, he proceeded to change from his dirty and tattered clothing into the new ones. It was a blessing that Tea was wearing a simple pair of black briefs because as he was showing in that moment, besides the panel on the back of his neck, everything about him was like a normal male human.
“Dark colors do indeed suit me more. These will look better on me than any suit would.” It took him only a minute to change before he moved towards the kitchen and threw away the old scraps of cloth he once would have called high quality clothing. Which now that you looked at it, no longer attached to the far more impressive robot, was a simple white button up and dress pants. It seemed like the offhand comment referred to his old clothing which Tae was assuming used to be part of a suit. A white button up and dress pants did not automatically mean he was wearing a formal uniforms but the word suit flew out anyway. Tea paused as he noticed his own word use. Running through his data banks for any information on suits yielded nothing so he moved on. He had no reason to mention it if it was not in his data so unless someone else did, he was not going to draw attention to the observation.
“Right. I probably should have cleaned up before changing.” Tae realized his mistake quickly, but now that his other clothing was in the trash and these clothes were on a trash infected body, it was too late to change anything. “I apologize, I failed to remember that I too need to bathe.” He knew that humans often did so to prevent infections and to attract partners, but since he need not worry about either of those things since he was not human, the idea that he had to do so passed over his head. “I dare not actually take a bath or shower with so much of my covering missing. Extensive rain may also be a possible problem in the future as well…” The musings were cut short when Tae lifted his hands up to examine the thankfully undamaged skin, “I suppose I should simply wash myself with a rag to be on the safe side. I can wash these clothes again while I am at it.”
Tae’s expressionless face twisted slightly into confusion at the mention of them not wanting to be called master and mistress. His brows were creased as the robot continued, “If I do not call you master and mistress what should I call you? Mr. Rhys and Miss Phoenix? ” He questioned as if the request was something ridiculous. It was fairly common for PETs to refer to their owners by master, mistress, Mr., miss, and some people had even made special requests like my lord, majesty, or even goddess. Many owners were just called by their names too, but it was a bit more rare due to the subservient nature of PETs as a whole. “I do not want to stand out if I can help it nor do I want to be… persevere.” Making his masters unhappy was also not apart of his plan either.
“That is correct. I have no records about my previous owner or any record of anything that could help me track him down.” Tae confirmed this, wishing that it was not the case. It was far easier and more efficient to serve one person than any human he is around at the time. Although Tae wanted to share his input on who should be his owner, he kept his mouth shut. It was far from his place to determine who he served. Instead, he waited until he was granted permission to share. “It would make the most sense if Mis- I mean, just Phoenix became my owner.” He corrected himself as he spoke to the room rather than one person specifically, almost saying mistress again. “Phoenix has the most to gain from my presence. The two main improvements being that she will get a large jump ahead when it comes to a technological upgrade and I can also assist her in gaining more money which she clearly needs. On another matter, I already know my way here and to her work, it was her money that paid for most of my repairs as I recall, and she was also there from the start so if finding my old owner is the goal, she has a larger chance at doing so than Rhys who I just met hours ago.”
“I feel I like should mention this…” Tae paused suddenly, his light blue eyes went from normal to one blink later glowing, but not just that. Like a projector, his eyes created a rectangle hovering two feet in front of his line of sight, the image slightly pixelated and slightly transparent but it was interactive to the touch. The outline was the same shade of blue as his glowing eyes but the insides had color like any computer screen. This was state of the art hologram technology which was often seen in PET’s. It was not a surprise that he could do this, most PET’s had interactive hologram technology since it was not like they had keyboards or actual screens hidden under fur and/or skin. This was the only way to make them replace computers and was largely the reason they were expensive.
The image that Tae displayed was a classic PET ownership contract at first glance, but upon looking over it closely, there were a few things missing and even completely blacked out. Such things like manufacturing company, insurance, and what provider he was under (sort of like how phones were registered under companies like At&T and Sprint) were completely missing from the sheet. “This is not an accident on my part or caused by the damages at least as far as I can tell. As you can see, when it comes to me, it is impossible to actually put in information in some of these spots. Such as Model number, even though that area is not blacked out and blank, it will not let me write anything there. Instead, it claims that my model number is already added and cannot be changed without a inserting a password. But it will not interfere with us assigning an owner to me.”
This new information was odd. Why would someone put a password lock on his model number so that it could not be changed but not the name of his owner? Were they more worried about information leaking that losing track of Tae? The robot couldn't help but muse about these thoughts, still displaying the sheet that was more for Tae than anyone apparently. After all, he was already strange for existing when public technology was below him, but now it seemed like he was completely off the grid when it came to PET documentation and that steps had been made to keep him off that grid. It was as if someone did not want police to find him, and if they did, they did not want him to be tracked back to them. Just who owned Tae before he was attacked?
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Phoenix smiled a little wider as Tae realized Rhys had simply been joking about his proficiency at yoga. It was partly amusing and partly fascinating to see the robot's ability to learn and adapt to their own words and actions. In some way his innocence was almost childlike, which was in stark contrast to his adult appearance. She couldn't help but wonder how the android's personality would develop and change, or if it even would at all. But she didn't linger on these thoughts very long as Tae asked for their contact information, and the pair went ahead and provided it.
While the woman did not notice Tae's expression when he saw her severely outdated tech, she did hear Rhys snort. "I'm glad you appreciate my antiques," she said absently without looking up from her phone. She had gotten used to snarky remarks and displays of almost morbid fascinations whenever she pulled out her cell. While pretty much everyone and their grandmother owned a PET, she was still in the age of smartphones and laptops. But frankly, she didn't care all that much. Objectively they were not as good as PETs, but they were still far from obsolete. They served every purpose that she needed, and that was good enough for her. Truthfully, Phoenix was much happier spending her extra money on her hair, skincare, and cosmetics.
And of course, clothes. She found enjoyment in fashion, and especially in dressing up other people whenever possible. The dark-haired woman watched with amusement in her eyes as Tae took the clothes from her and held them up. When he nodded, she found herself mirroring his action. "Good!" Phoenix was smiling, but it fell from her face as he promptly began to shed his dirty clothing for the new garments she had given him. "Oh, wow. Okay." She instinctively looked away as she noticed the finer details of his anatomy looked to be quite human, too. For once, she was thankful that her face was already red from drinking.
"Or maybe stripping is your true calling, Tae." Rhys laugh sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. But the two recovered from their slight embarrassment quite quickly once Tae agreed that darker tones did fit him better. Phoenix couldn't help but feel a bit of pride when he mentioned they would look better on him than a suit. Although she was pretty sure he could pull one off quite well, it wasn't like they had the funds to buy one and see for themselves. But now that he mentioned it, she wondered how he had been dressed previously? A trivial thought, perhaps, it did reflect on his true owner and his former purpose. The dress shirt and pants he had been wearing weren't casual, but not exactly fancy either. Honestly, they reminded her of an accountant - but she highly doubted Tae was just a super high tech calculator.
When he apologized about putting clothes on his uncleaned body, Phoenix waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, we can do laundry tomorrow before I go to work." She cared less about his clothes than about the cleanliness of his body. While her apartment wasn't the nicest around, she did like to try and keep it clean. She didn't think Tae was filthy, but he had been in the dumpster for who knows how long, and she had unceremoniously dumped a ton of fresh garbage on him as well. So a quick wipe-down definitely couldn't hurt. But at the same time, it wasn't urgent. "We can clean you tomorrow morning though, no rush."
As her second concern was addressed, she was slightly surprised at the almost incredulous reaction from the robot. Was it that crazy of a request? "Phoenix will do."
"As much as I like the sound of Mr. Rhys, just Rhys is all right." The man lightly stroked his chin. "Maybe just call everyone by their first names... that's the natural thing to do, after all." Phoenix nodded in agreement. Now that Tae was functional, it was in their best interest for them to pretend he was just like any other human as much as possible. He was obviously special, and until they knew more about what his origins were, it seemed safer to try and keep a low profile as much as possible.
The conversation shifted to address Tae's owner. Once she had finished speaking, Phoenix drank some more of her beer and watched the robotic man from over the bottle. As Tae listed off the reasons why she was the most logical owner right now, Rhys looked over at her and bobbed his head in agreement. "He's right. You are pretty dang poor and it'd probably be beneficial for you to finally join us in the PET age."
She finished the last of her drink and set down the empty bottle back on the counter. "Yeah, I get it." It was kind of funny to hear Tae mention that she clearly needed money. He wasn't wrong, of course. Phoenix was curious as to how exactly he would accomplish such a thing, but she left it to be discussed at a later time. "All right, it's settled then. For now, I'll be your owner." There was really no use trying to argue - he was absolutely right, after all. No use trying to combat pure, simple logic.
It was at that point that Tae began to project a hologram before them. The two humans moved in closer to get a better look, with Rhys standing behind Tae and Phoenix just in front of him. The pair studied the image and quickly noted the irregularities in the otherwise typical PET ownership documentation. "Strange... very strange," Rhys said, moving into zoom in on a few aspects of the hologram. "It seems most likely that whoever made you did this, then... I can kinda get not putting where you were made or your provider, but what's the harm in displaying your model number at least? Why's that password protected, but setting an owner isn't?" He set the hologram back to a 100% view and looked at Tae curiously. "I mean... I know you don't know the answers. I'm just wondering. It's quite weird, right?"
"Weird indeed." Phoenix covered her mouth as she yawned. She was hardly bored with this new information - the opposite, in fact. But now that the excitement was over, her fatigue was quickly catching up to her. It was always a bit tough to reset her schedule after working all night. "Anyway, my legal name is actually Hei-Jin Lau, so you can put that in." With that said, she strolled to her bathroom and paused in the doorway. She leaned against the doorframe, resting her temple against the wood. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Rhys, you can sleep on the couch if you're too tired to drive home, since I doubt Tae needs to be comfy."
Her friend shook his head. "Nah... I'm fine to drive, so I'd better go." He picked up his things and began to put his shoes on. "I'll keep my eye out for any deals on parts you can use, Tae. And if I find any information I'll message you directly, if that's okay with you." Once he was all set to go, he gave a little wave and opened the door. "All right, thanks guys! That was fun. And fascinating, actually. Well, good night! See y'all round." With a smile, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Waving back to him, Phoenix disappeared into the bathroom where she showered, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. With every task, she felt herself getting slightly more drunk, and increasingly sleepy. After a little while she emerged and walked over to the door to make sure it was locked. "Tae, my house is now your house," she said as she went around turning off lights until she made it to her dresser. She pulled out an oversized t-shirt and changed into it, as uncaring of Tae's presence as he had been when he changed. "Use whatever you like, do whatever you like." After tossing her clothes in her laundry basket, she turned off the lamp by her bedside and climbed under the covers. "Just so you know, I'm working tomorrow night - the earlier shift, though. But I'll get up whenever, and wake you up when I do. If you want to get up earlier, go ahead; but don't leave. For now, we should stick together." Some of her words came out slightly slurred and partly muffled as she settled into her pillow.
But before she fell asleep, she sleepily mumbled one last thing: "Night, Tae."
While the woman did not notice Tae's expression when he saw her severely outdated tech, she did hear Rhys snort. "I'm glad you appreciate my antiques," she said absently without looking up from her phone. She had gotten used to snarky remarks and displays of almost morbid fascinations whenever she pulled out her cell. While pretty much everyone and their grandmother owned a PET, she was still in the age of smartphones and laptops. But frankly, she didn't care all that much. Objectively they were not as good as PETs, but they were still far from obsolete. They served every purpose that she needed, and that was good enough for her. Truthfully, Phoenix was much happier spending her extra money on her hair, skincare, and cosmetics.
And of course, clothes. She found enjoyment in fashion, and especially in dressing up other people whenever possible. The dark-haired woman watched with amusement in her eyes as Tae took the clothes from her and held them up. When he nodded, she found herself mirroring his action. "Good!" Phoenix was smiling, but it fell from her face as he promptly began to shed his dirty clothing for the new garments she had given him. "Oh, wow. Okay." She instinctively looked away as she noticed the finer details of his anatomy looked to be quite human, too. For once, she was thankful that her face was already red from drinking.
"Or maybe stripping is your true calling, Tae." Rhys laugh sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. But the two recovered from their slight embarrassment quite quickly once Tae agreed that darker tones did fit him better. Phoenix couldn't help but feel a bit of pride when he mentioned they would look better on him than a suit. Although she was pretty sure he could pull one off quite well, it wasn't like they had the funds to buy one and see for themselves. But now that he mentioned it, she wondered how he had been dressed previously? A trivial thought, perhaps, it did reflect on his true owner and his former purpose. The dress shirt and pants he had been wearing weren't casual, but not exactly fancy either. Honestly, they reminded her of an accountant - but she highly doubted Tae was just a super high tech calculator.
When he apologized about putting clothes on his uncleaned body, Phoenix waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, we can do laundry tomorrow before I go to work." She cared less about his clothes than about the cleanliness of his body. While her apartment wasn't the nicest around, she did like to try and keep it clean. She didn't think Tae was filthy, but he had been in the dumpster for who knows how long, and she had unceremoniously dumped a ton of fresh garbage on him as well. So a quick wipe-down definitely couldn't hurt. But at the same time, it wasn't urgent. "We can clean you tomorrow morning though, no rush."
As her second concern was addressed, she was slightly surprised at the almost incredulous reaction from the robot. Was it that crazy of a request? "Phoenix will do."
"As much as I like the sound of Mr. Rhys, just Rhys is all right." The man lightly stroked his chin. "Maybe just call everyone by their first names... that's the natural thing to do, after all." Phoenix nodded in agreement. Now that Tae was functional, it was in their best interest for them to pretend he was just like any other human as much as possible. He was obviously special, and until they knew more about what his origins were, it seemed safer to try and keep a low profile as much as possible.
The conversation shifted to address Tae's owner. Once she had finished speaking, Phoenix drank some more of her beer and watched the robotic man from over the bottle. As Tae listed off the reasons why she was the most logical owner right now, Rhys looked over at her and bobbed his head in agreement. "He's right. You are pretty dang poor and it'd probably be beneficial for you to finally join us in the PET age."
She finished the last of her drink and set down the empty bottle back on the counter. "Yeah, I get it." It was kind of funny to hear Tae mention that she clearly needed money. He wasn't wrong, of course. Phoenix was curious as to how exactly he would accomplish such a thing, but she left it to be discussed at a later time. "All right, it's settled then. For now, I'll be your owner." There was really no use trying to argue - he was absolutely right, after all. No use trying to combat pure, simple logic.
It was at that point that Tae began to project a hologram before them. The two humans moved in closer to get a better look, with Rhys standing behind Tae and Phoenix just in front of him. The pair studied the image and quickly noted the irregularities in the otherwise typical PET ownership documentation. "Strange... very strange," Rhys said, moving into zoom in on a few aspects of the hologram. "It seems most likely that whoever made you did this, then... I can kinda get not putting where you were made or your provider, but what's the harm in displaying your model number at least? Why's that password protected, but setting an owner isn't?" He set the hologram back to a 100% view and looked at Tae curiously. "I mean... I know you don't know the answers. I'm just wondering. It's quite weird, right?"
"Weird indeed." Phoenix covered her mouth as she yawned. She was hardly bored with this new information - the opposite, in fact. But now that the excitement was over, her fatigue was quickly catching up to her. It was always a bit tough to reset her schedule after working all night. "Anyway, my legal name is actually Hei-Jin Lau, so you can put that in." With that said, she strolled to her bathroom and paused in the doorway. She leaned against the doorframe, resting her temple against the wood. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Rhys, you can sleep on the couch if you're too tired to drive home, since I doubt Tae needs to be comfy."
Her friend shook his head. "Nah... I'm fine to drive, so I'd better go." He picked up his things and began to put his shoes on. "I'll keep my eye out for any deals on parts you can use, Tae. And if I find any information I'll message you directly, if that's okay with you." Once he was all set to go, he gave a little wave and opened the door. "All right, thanks guys! That was fun. And fascinating, actually. Well, good night! See y'all round." With a smile, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Waving back to him, Phoenix disappeared into the bathroom where she showered, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. With every task, she felt herself getting slightly more drunk, and increasingly sleepy. After a little while she emerged and walked over to the door to make sure it was locked. "Tae, my house is now your house," she said as she went around turning off lights until she made it to her dresser. She pulled out an oversized t-shirt and changed into it, as uncaring of Tae's presence as he had been when he changed. "Use whatever you like, do whatever you like." After tossing her clothes in her laundry basket, she turned off the lamp by her bedside and climbed under the covers. "Just so you know, I'm working tomorrow night - the earlier shift, though. But I'll get up whenever, and wake you up when I do. If you want to get up earlier, go ahead; but don't leave. For now, we should stick together." Some of her words came out slightly slurred and partly muffled as she settled into her pillow.
But before she fell asleep, she sleepily mumbled one last thing: "Night, Tae."
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Viper
One Thousand Club
“What is natural is not always right.” Tae quickly responded at the calling people by their first names were what was natural comment. Humans calling each other by their first names was not always the case, some cultures only did that to friends and family, and never to authority figures. Even more so in Tae’s case, it was far from natural to act familiar with his master. For most PET’s it was not natural either. And if he knew anything, it was about not being natural. He was, after all, the product of everything that rejected nature. First there was technology, then robots, then artificial intelligence, each development further bringing mother nature to her knees. There were plenty of conspiracy theorists who suspected that one day artificial intelligence would take over the world, apocalyptic style. Tae had no interest in such things of course, he was a servant and nothing more, but he could acknowledge that the fact that he had ever been created implied that a technological takeover could be imminent.
“But I understand.” The PET continued as he he had never paused to mentally debate the logistics of what was natural and what was not, and more importantly, where he fell on that line. “I shall call you, and all future humans, by their first names.”
Tae did not have the answers and was prepared to inform the room of that, but Rhys had beat him to it so he only nodded. It’s not like he had anything real to add to the observations. But this less than favorable observation was replaced with the closest emotion to relief that he could feel, because now, for the first time in what felt like decades, he had an owner registered for him. He had a mistress to guide him, to give him orders and make him useful, which was all he wanted to have while his wires still carried electricity. As an added benefit, Tae now knew the real name of his mistress. He had not even considered the fact that Phoenix was not her true name… it was almost worrisome to be honest. Should he have been able to notice that she was lying, or at least not telling the full truth?
At the mention of bed, Tae made no protests. His mistress was right after all, he did not need to be comfy. He could sleep, recharge, turn off, whatever you wanted to call it, in any position or in any number of pieces. “Thank you for keeping your eye out. I shall also be keeping watch for deals or new parts that may help me.” He started before offering a small bow to Rhys as he left the apartment. “Yes, please feel free to message me directly if you would like to. It will likely be faster than contacting Phoenix by her archaic mobile device, even with me relaying the messages.”
As Phoenix showered, Tae had barely moved from the place where he had been standing before. He just stood there, enjoying his newly repaired mobility as well as his newly repaired mental capacity. His contraction to the outside world, which had been strong before but slow, was now incredibly strong as well as fast. He could travel the world with his mind and all he had to do was think about it, sure he thought in numbers more than in spirit, but it was a similar concept. He was just more mathematical than most.
When Phoenix did return though, she gave him free reign to anything in the house as long as he did not leave. “Thank you, Phoenix, I will keep my volume down. Rest deeply.” He was likely going to be charging most of the night anyway, but it was nice to have other options should he wish to be productive during the rest of that time.
~~~~~~
So that’s what Tae did, not long after Phoenix had fallen asleep, he moved the dirty blanket to the floor and sat himself upon it to charge. By the time he was done, the sun had not rose just yet, and Tae felt better than ever. There was a spring in his step almost, one that he would not notice, but it was a side effect of being fully charged, especially after such a long time being low. He felt the need to be productive. So he did what he did best, get information. He gave himself a tour of the house since he had permission to explore the whole place, generally just familiarizing himself with where everything was. Where were the plates, cataloging the cds and books, and even looking at brand names to see if his mistress had preferences. He did his best to be quiet as he did all of this of course, his flexibility and grace helping to balance out his natural weight.
He had not finished looking at every nook and cranny but he felt unprofessional now that he knew he was dirty in appearance, and since he still had time and free reign, he went to the bathroom and filled the tub partially up with water. He took the darkest cloth he could find, the one that looked the eldest and most worn down, and stripped himself all the way down. This little half bath took more time than had his self tour of the house, mainly because he was being careful not to get water into any major cracks in his skin or where things were especially important to his functioning. Phoenix did say that he could wait till morning and since it was technically morning now, he hoped she would not disapprove of his actions.
It wouldn't take long to find out though, because as Tae exited the bathroom, skin and hair still damp from the water, it seemed to be the time his mistress was waking up. “Ah hello, Phoenix, good morning.” His words were not at all like a husband who just woke up next to his wife, more like a coworker that happened to run into you at the bagel shop on the way to work. As he continued, Tae raised his arms out to the side as if to draw attention to his newly polished skin that looks paler and more perfect than ever before without the dirt and grime. He had missed a few spots, such as behind an ear were a decent sized oil stain had unknowingly taken residence. “I took the liberty of bathing myself already, and don’t worry, I cleaned up after myself. The bath should not stain and I used the oldest cloth I could find.”
Shaking his head and putting his arms back down, Tae changed gears in a non literal sense. “Is there anything I can do for you this morning? Or at least before you go to your work? Theoretically, I can cook something for you since you have enough in the fridge to make a decent meal.” It’s not like he could remember ever cooking before, but he could follow directions enough to make something decent hopefully. As Tae offered up these things, his service and breakfast mainly, it was becoming apparent that he was eager to please, or at least as eager as a man with a poker face could seem. He had a master now, and as the first morning together, he wanted to make a good impression. Sure they had already spent two nights in the same home, but it was different now, at least in Tae’s mind. He served no one else but the woman in front of him,
“But I understand.” The PET continued as he he had never paused to mentally debate the logistics of what was natural and what was not, and more importantly, where he fell on that line. “I shall call you, and all future humans, by their first names.”
Tae did not have the answers and was prepared to inform the room of that, but Rhys had beat him to it so he only nodded. It’s not like he had anything real to add to the observations. But this less than favorable observation was replaced with the closest emotion to relief that he could feel, because now, for the first time in what felt like decades, he had an owner registered for him. He had a mistress to guide him, to give him orders and make him useful, which was all he wanted to have while his wires still carried electricity. As an added benefit, Tae now knew the real name of his mistress. He had not even considered the fact that Phoenix was not her true name… it was almost worrisome to be honest. Should he have been able to notice that she was lying, or at least not telling the full truth?
At the mention of bed, Tae made no protests. His mistress was right after all, he did not need to be comfy. He could sleep, recharge, turn off, whatever you wanted to call it, in any position or in any number of pieces. “Thank you for keeping your eye out. I shall also be keeping watch for deals or new parts that may help me.” He started before offering a small bow to Rhys as he left the apartment. “Yes, please feel free to message me directly if you would like to. It will likely be faster than contacting Phoenix by her archaic mobile device, even with me relaying the messages.”
As Phoenix showered, Tae had barely moved from the place where he had been standing before. He just stood there, enjoying his newly repaired mobility as well as his newly repaired mental capacity. His contraction to the outside world, which had been strong before but slow, was now incredibly strong as well as fast. He could travel the world with his mind and all he had to do was think about it, sure he thought in numbers more than in spirit, but it was a similar concept. He was just more mathematical than most.
When Phoenix did return though, she gave him free reign to anything in the house as long as he did not leave. “Thank you, Phoenix, I will keep my volume down. Rest deeply.” He was likely going to be charging most of the night anyway, but it was nice to have other options should he wish to be productive during the rest of that time.
~~~~~~
So that’s what Tae did, not long after Phoenix had fallen asleep, he moved the dirty blanket to the floor and sat himself upon it to charge. By the time he was done, the sun had not rose just yet, and Tae felt better than ever. There was a spring in his step almost, one that he would not notice, but it was a side effect of being fully charged, especially after such a long time being low. He felt the need to be productive. So he did what he did best, get information. He gave himself a tour of the house since he had permission to explore the whole place, generally just familiarizing himself with where everything was. Where were the plates, cataloging the cds and books, and even looking at brand names to see if his mistress had preferences. He did his best to be quiet as he did all of this of course, his flexibility and grace helping to balance out his natural weight.
He had not finished looking at every nook and cranny but he felt unprofessional now that he knew he was dirty in appearance, and since he still had time and free reign, he went to the bathroom and filled the tub partially up with water. He took the darkest cloth he could find, the one that looked the eldest and most worn down, and stripped himself all the way down. This little half bath took more time than had his self tour of the house, mainly because he was being careful not to get water into any major cracks in his skin or where things were especially important to his functioning. Phoenix did say that he could wait till morning and since it was technically morning now, he hoped she would not disapprove of his actions.
It wouldn't take long to find out though, because as Tae exited the bathroom, skin and hair still damp from the water, it seemed to be the time his mistress was waking up. “Ah hello, Phoenix, good morning.” His words were not at all like a husband who just woke up next to his wife, more like a coworker that happened to run into you at the bagel shop on the way to work. As he continued, Tae raised his arms out to the side as if to draw attention to his newly polished skin that looks paler and more perfect than ever before without the dirt and grime. He had missed a few spots, such as behind an ear were a decent sized oil stain had unknowingly taken residence. “I took the liberty of bathing myself already, and don’t worry, I cleaned up after myself. The bath should not stain and I used the oldest cloth I could find.”
Shaking his head and putting his arms back down, Tae changed gears in a non literal sense. “Is there anything I can do for you this morning? Or at least before you go to your work? Theoretically, I can cook something for you since you have enough in the fridge to make a decent meal.” It’s not like he could remember ever cooking before, but he could follow directions enough to make something decent hopefully. As Tae offered up these things, his service and breakfast mainly, it was becoming apparent that he was eager to please, or at least as eager as a man with a poker face could seem. He had a master now, and as the first morning together, he wanted to make a good impression. Sure they had already spent two nights in the same home, but it was different now, at least in Tae’s mind. He served no one else but the woman in front of him,
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Phoenix did end up having a deep rest.
It was a dreamless sleep, or at least one where she could not remember any subconscious events that occurred in her head. These were the types of nights she liked best - after all, what good were dreams in reality? Bad ones gave bad feelings when she awoke, and good ones made her long for a world she could never return to. Thus, when she found herself opening her eyes feeling refreshed, well-rested, with no recollection of any dreams, Phoenix was quite happy. She rolled over in her bed, peering sleepily at her bedside clock where the numbers stared back at her: 10:24. With a loud yawn, she stretched her arms and legs out before sitting up at the edge of her mattress, her dark hair falling messily over her shoulders. As she sat there, lazily adjusting to being awake, Tae emerged from the bathroom and greeted her casually.
"Oh, good morning." She hadn't greeted someone so soon after waking up in years. It was a strange feeling to not be alone in the morning. The woman got up from her bed and walked over to her dresser to pull out a pair of cotton shorts. While she put them on, she looked to her new robotic roommate as he held up his arms which were obviously much cleaner than they had been last night. "Good job. And... thanks." Phoenix was a bit at a loss for words to be honest. She hadn't really expected him to take so much initiative but when she thought about it, it was foolish to be surprised. Why would he able to fix himself, but not clean himself?
She made her way over to Tae, and then stood in front of him to admire his work. He looked a lot better, and smelled totally fine now, too. When he offered to help and cook for her, Phoenix raised her eyebrows slightly. "Well," she let the word sit on her tongue for a moment before continuing, "I don't each much in the morning, but eggs and toast would be nice." The woman idly scratched the side of her neck. It was odd enough having someone else here, doing their own thing. But having someone make her food? Who didn't need to eat anything themselves or be kicked out when she was sick of them? That was something even stranger. To be honest, Phoenix had lived alone and self-sufficiently for so long she couldn't help but feel awkward having someone do things for her. She had wondered for a moment if she should make her own food after all, but decided to leave her answer as it was. Somehow, it felt like Tae wanted to have a task, so she let him do it. "I'll get ready while you do that," she said as she once again made her way to the bathroom. After washing her face, she poked her head out the door and added: "I like my eggs scrambled and my toast with butter, by the way." If she was going to ask him to make her food, she might as well have him do it the way she wanted.
Her routine was shorter this morning, since she decided to put on makeup closer to when she needed to leave for work. After taking her time to apply all of her facial serums and lotions, she emerged from the bathroom feeling pretty good. She sat down and ate the breakfast prepared by Tae, fairly impressed by the robot-prepared meal. "Thanks, this is great," she said, smiling brightly at him. She meant the comment more in a general sense than about the taste itself. It had taken her a tiny bit of adjustment, but she decided she could get used to not having to prepare her own food in the mornings. Still, once she finished eating she began to do her own dishes, mostly out of habit. With everything in the drying rack, she glanced at a clock on her wall. It was only about 11AM, leaving pretty much the whole day until she had to go in to work. Typically, she would do chores and errands on a day like today, with a bit of relaxing in the time leftover. But now that Tae was here, she felt compelled to include him somehow in her daily activities.
"I don't have to be at work until six," she told Tae as she idly began to clean up the chips and her beer bottle from last night. "I was just going to clean the apartment, do some laundry, and pick up a few groceries this afternoon." Phoenix put a clip on the chips and put them aside before throwing the bottle in bin of other recyclable materials. "You don't have to help me, but I want you to come shopping with me." She felt hesitant to leave him alone, even in her locked apartment, in case anything should happen. Her area wasn't terrible, but it was far from safe and quiet suburbia. Not only that but having another set of hands - especially robotic ones - to help carry the bags definitely sounded like it could be helpful.
With her plans announced, she got to work. She went down to the laundry room with a few baskets and started on cleaning her place while she washed her clothes. After a few hours, her apartment was cleaned, dusted, and tidied, while her freshly dried clothing was put back in its place, and all of the garbage they had accumulated was disposed of. It was early afternoon by this time, leaving a few hours to go shopping. Phoenix changed her clothes and left the house with Tae in tow and walked to the local supermarket where she picked up some essentials - bread, milk, eggs, produce - along with some household items she had run out of. When she had bought everything she needed - and could afford - she made her way back to her place and put everything away. At this point, Phoenix ate and got ready for work. Once she was dressed in her usual dark attire and made up to her liking, she began to gather her things for work.
"Come with me to work, too," she said as she ensured all her belongings were in her purse. "For now, you should go wherever I go. Besides, Dan and the others will want to see you now that you're functional." Phoenix put her purse on the table and went to pick out a light coat from her closet as she went on. "But I was thinking: if we don't want everyone to know you're not human, we need some cover story for who you are." She trailed off as she began to put on a thin, dark blue jacket. Once it was on, she tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment.
"I guess we can say you're my cousin. What do you think?" Phoenix asked as she looked instinctively at her phone for the time. "Oh, we gotta go catch our bus. I have fare for you, don't worry." Quickly, she gathered her things and walked out the door, closing and locking it behind her before she went into the elevator. As she made her way out of her apartment and to the nearest bus stop, she continued. "You can be my cousin on my mom's side, so your name would be Tae Lin - sounds pretty legitimate. And you're here just visiting for a while... That seems like the simplest answer." Especially since he wouldn't have to know or say anything about her father's idiotic debts. Although she knew that there was no way he could care, she had always been a bit ashamed to tell anyone about that particular aspect of her family situation - including, it seems, an emotionless robot.
It was a dreamless sleep, or at least one where she could not remember any subconscious events that occurred in her head. These were the types of nights she liked best - after all, what good were dreams in reality? Bad ones gave bad feelings when she awoke, and good ones made her long for a world she could never return to. Thus, when she found herself opening her eyes feeling refreshed, well-rested, with no recollection of any dreams, Phoenix was quite happy. She rolled over in her bed, peering sleepily at her bedside clock where the numbers stared back at her: 10:24. With a loud yawn, she stretched her arms and legs out before sitting up at the edge of her mattress, her dark hair falling messily over her shoulders. As she sat there, lazily adjusting to being awake, Tae emerged from the bathroom and greeted her casually.
"Oh, good morning." She hadn't greeted someone so soon after waking up in years. It was a strange feeling to not be alone in the morning. The woman got up from her bed and walked over to her dresser to pull out a pair of cotton shorts. While she put them on, she looked to her new robotic roommate as he held up his arms which were obviously much cleaner than they had been last night. "Good job. And... thanks." Phoenix was a bit at a loss for words to be honest. She hadn't really expected him to take so much initiative but when she thought about it, it was foolish to be surprised. Why would he able to fix himself, but not clean himself?
She made her way over to Tae, and then stood in front of him to admire his work. He looked a lot better, and smelled totally fine now, too. When he offered to help and cook for her, Phoenix raised her eyebrows slightly. "Well," she let the word sit on her tongue for a moment before continuing, "I don't each much in the morning, but eggs and toast would be nice." The woman idly scratched the side of her neck. It was odd enough having someone else here, doing their own thing. But having someone make her food? Who didn't need to eat anything themselves or be kicked out when she was sick of them? That was something even stranger. To be honest, Phoenix had lived alone and self-sufficiently for so long she couldn't help but feel awkward having someone do things for her. She had wondered for a moment if she should make her own food after all, but decided to leave her answer as it was. Somehow, it felt like Tae wanted to have a task, so she let him do it. "I'll get ready while you do that," she said as she once again made her way to the bathroom. After washing her face, she poked her head out the door and added: "I like my eggs scrambled and my toast with butter, by the way." If she was going to ask him to make her food, she might as well have him do it the way she wanted.
Her routine was shorter this morning, since she decided to put on makeup closer to when she needed to leave for work. After taking her time to apply all of her facial serums and lotions, she emerged from the bathroom feeling pretty good. She sat down and ate the breakfast prepared by Tae, fairly impressed by the robot-prepared meal. "Thanks, this is great," she said, smiling brightly at him. She meant the comment more in a general sense than about the taste itself. It had taken her a tiny bit of adjustment, but she decided she could get used to not having to prepare her own food in the mornings. Still, once she finished eating she began to do her own dishes, mostly out of habit. With everything in the drying rack, she glanced at a clock on her wall. It was only about 11AM, leaving pretty much the whole day until she had to go in to work. Typically, she would do chores and errands on a day like today, with a bit of relaxing in the time leftover. But now that Tae was here, she felt compelled to include him somehow in her daily activities.
"I don't have to be at work until six," she told Tae as she idly began to clean up the chips and her beer bottle from last night. "I was just going to clean the apartment, do some laundry, and pick up a few groceries this afternoon." Phoenix put a clip on the chips and put them aside before throwing the bottle in bin of other recyclable materials. "You don't have to help me, but I want you to come shopping with me." She felt hesitant to leave him alone, even in her locked apartment, in case anything should happen. Her area wasn't terrible, but it was far from safe and quiet suburbia. Not only that but having another set of hands - especially robotic ones - to help carry the bags definitely sounded like it could be helpful.
With her plans announced, she got to work. She went down to the laundry room with a few baskets and started on cleaning her place while she washed her clothes. After a few hours, her apartment was cleaned, dusted, and tidied, while her freshly dried clothing was put back in its place, and all of the garbage they had accumulated was disposed of. It was early afternoon by this time, leaving a few hours to go shopping. Phoenix changed her clothes and left the house with Tae in tow and walked to the local supermarket where she picked up some essentials - bread, milk, eggs, produce - along with some household items she had run out of. When she had bought everything she needed - and could afford - she made her way back to her place and put everything away. At this point, Phoenix ate and got ready for work. Once she was dressed in her usual dark attire and made up to her liking, she began to gather her things for work.
"Come with me to work, too," she said as she ensured all her belongings were in her purse. "For now, you should go wherever I go. Besides, Dan and the others will want to see you now that you're functional." Phoenix put her purse on the table and went to pick out a light coat from her closet as she went on. "But I was thinking: if we don't want everyone to know you're not human, we need some cover story for who you are." She trailed off as she began to put on a thin, dark blue jacket. Once it was on, she tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment.
"I guess we can say you're my cousin. What do you think?" Phoenix asked as she looked instinctively at her phone for the time. "Oh, we gotta go catch our bus. I have fare for you, don't worry." Quickly, she gathered her things and walked out the door, closing and locking it behind her before she went into the elevator. As she made her way out of her apartment and to the nearest bus stop, she continued. "You can be my cousin on my mom's side, so your name would be Tae Lin - sounds pretty legitimate. And you're here just visiting for a while... That seems like the simplest answer." Especially since he wouldn't have to know or say anything about her father's idiotic debts. Although she knew that there was no way he could care, she had always been a bit ashamed to tell anyone about that particular aspect of her family situation - including, it seems, an emotionless robot.
Viper
One Thousand Club
“Understood.” Tae responded when Phoenix made her breakfast order. It was one of the most simple meals to be made, and after a quick search online on how to make eggs and toast, Tae took himself to the kitchen to begin. This was the benefit of having searched the home before now, he knew where the pans, plates, and other such utensils were. He had already taken out all necessary materials when Phoenix poked her head out to further explain what she wanted, and thankfully he did not need to change ingredients, only the method he prepared them.
As the kitchen was filled with the sounds of sizzling eggs and the occasional sound of the whisk against the pan, Tae started into the food with blank eyes, his long pale fingers curled around the wooden handle with a careful grip. Cooking was naturally hard for a robot, they could not taste or smell, and so it took a lot of concentration to make it turn out right. Directions could only do so far, especially when they called for seasoning to taste, so he often had to rely on watching cooking tutorials to estimate how much 'to taste' meant. Plus, as an added difficulty, there was always the danger of fire or any other sort of accident occurring. It was remarkable how unaware most humans were to the dangers that cooking at home could be, everything from fire, to gas leaks, to severe bloodless could occur if one was not careful. It was Tae's responsibility to make sure nothing along those lines happened.
When everything was cooked as accurately as he could make them, he plated both the eggs and toast and served them to his mistress. Tae was hovering as he waited for Phoenix to try her food, he kept his hands locked behind his back, grip strong enough that it could snapped real bone. He didn't know why, but he felt worry as he placed food in front of her. He wanted approval, and not in the normal way that was just business, but it was almost like there would be consequences for failing in his task. should she disapprove of what he made. So when she smiled and offered compliments, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes briefly. Good. He passed the deadly, and difficult task that was cooking without taste buds.
It was hard to let her do the dishes, it seemed like something he should be doing since she probably could have doing something more productive meanwhile. But when she went for them herself, he could do nothing else but step away. “I would like to help you, in as many ways as I can.” He quickly responded as Phoenix informed her of her daily activity plans. There was nothing worse than acting like a sculpture or some regular appliance, especially when he could see his mistress working. If he could help, he wanted to do most of it or at least as much as he would be allowed.
The day went by in a bit of a blur after that. Not literally of course, he saw and comprehended it all, even recording a handful of the important aspects. Still, it felt very common and average…. It was a bit dull if Tae was being honest. There was no challenge in carrying bags and he almost felt like his skills were not being used to their fullest, but at least they were being used. Better to fold laundry than roast in a dumpster. Conversation would not have helped the situation, but he did note that there was little dialogue between he and his mistress as they performed these everyday, menial tasks. Phoenix did not seem anti social through all of his observations so far, but it was highly possible that she simply did not feel the need to speak to him specifically, which was fine.
“Dan… yes I imagine that they would. I shall follow you as long as you wish for me to” Tae agreed, remembering the men and women from the first night clearly. It seemed like Phoenix had many companions, he was meeting more everyday, and although he could keep track of all of their names and faces there was the concern that not all of them could be trusted. He now had one master, and although he would not go out of his way to hinder other humans, Phoenix came first and so did her safety. Hopefully, the other coworkers were as kind as they seemed to be the other night. There were far too many crimes in the news everyday not to at least consider the possibility of danger existing, it was a balance of probability that one day something negative would happen to Phoenix since she lived in such a large city.
At the mention of a cover story, Tae’s eyes furrowed in confusion but nodded either way. He understood the logic of keeping his inhuman identity a secret, that was not something the world was ready for at this point and he had a personal desire not to gain that much attention as well. Still, he had a few issues with the cover story. “I’m not sure out biological appearances match, but I can refer to myself in that way while we are out in public.” He did not look Asian in the least bit, he looked more like a male snow white more so than any Chinese male did, but it would have to do since Phoenix was already set on that. There was one other problem that passed through Tae's mind... he was not built to lie. He was made to answer questions, provide answers and services, and that was it. Could he lie? Yes, nothing within his systems prevented him from doing that. But at the same time, was he a good liar? Well, he could not remember for sure so this was a risk. Tae did not like risks.
There was no more time to talk though because it was time to go catch the bus. The topic of his cover story was left on the fence for the moment as Tae’s attention turned to something that he considered more important. He spoke quickly and quietly as they rushed to the bus stop, his inhuman stamina and long legs making the trek easy. “Bus travel is inefficient, especially with me adding to your already financial insecurity. I could search for other jobs that may bring you in more money, I am theoretically capable of getting one as well.... with your permission of course.” Not that he knew the details of what she did for a living or how much she earned, but he could tell that it was not enough. He was now an added burden to her, the opposite of what he should be. “My mistress should not be taking public travel. You deserve better than the average.”
Staying for a while? Did Phoenix plan on sending him away even if they failed to find his old owner? The thought made him crease his brows, but that was it, the display of emotion failed to reach any other part of his face. Even his voice came out the same, semi-monotone as usual. “Tae Lin, the cousin from Phoenix’s mother's side. I will remember that.” This was the last thing Tae got to say before the bus came to a stop only a handful of buildings away from minor chaos. There surely have been worse and more crowded streets in the past, Tae could uncover multiple found footage of riots and wars without much trouble, but for a sunday night this was unexpected. If it had been a weekday, many of the people here would have been leaving work and heading home, but since it was not, it was safe to guess that these people were either shoppers heading home or party goers just coming out. The sun was only just setting so there was probably another hour of light left, or more accurately, it was 56 minutes to dark. The street, which was already a bit too loud for Tae’s senses to be fully aware of everything that was going on, would likely get more crowded once night came.
A crowd of young adults and people that were just young were gathering on the outside of the vaguely familiar building that the pair seemed to be heading towards. Almost unconsciously, Tae paused as they passed the alleyway, the alleyway where he had been found only days ago, and stared with cold blue eyes into the dark street. He wondered, were there any signs of how he got there that still remained? He was repaired now, so maybe with his full capabilities he could find traces of his attackers or what happened to him? This thought quickly left his mechanical brain though, he had been ordered to stay with Phoenix until she told him otherwise. So without another glance towards what may lead to his past, Tae began moving his unusually long legs towards the clubs entrance and towards his mistress.
As the kitchen was filled with the sounds of sizzling eggs and the occasional sound of the whisk against the pan, Tae started into the food with blank eyes, his long pale fingers curled around the wooden handle with a careful grip. Cooking was naturally hard for a robot, they could not taste or smell, and so it took a lot of concentration to make it turn out right. Directions could only do so far, especially when they called for seasoning to taste, so he often had to rely on watching cooking tutorials to estimate how much 'to taste' meant. Plus, as an added difficulty, there was always the danger of fire or any other sort of accident occurring. It was remarkable how unaware most humans were to the dangers that cooking at home could be, everything from fire, to gas leaks, to severe bloodless could occur if one was not careful. It was Tae's responsibility to make sure nothing along those lines happened.
When everything was cooked as accurately as he could make them, he plated both the eggs and toast and served them to his mistress. Tae was hovering as he waited for Phoenix to try her food, he kept his hands locked behind his back, grip strong enough that it could snapped real bone. He didn't know why, but he felt worry as he placed food in front of her. He wanted approval, and not in the normal way that was just business, but it was almost like there would be consequences for failing in his task. should she disapprove of what he made. So when she smiled and offered compliments, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes briefly. Good. He passed the deadly, and difficult task that was cooking without taste buds.
It was hard to let her do the dishes, it seemed like something he should be doing since she probably could have doing something more productive meanwhile. But when she went for them herself, he could do nothing else but step away. “I would like to help you, in as many ways as I can.” He quickly responded as Phoenix informed her of her daily activity plans. There was nothing worse than acting like a sculpture or some regular appliance, especially when he could see his mistress working. If he could help, he wanted to do most of it or at least as much as he would be allowed.
The day went by in a bit of a blur after that. Not literally of course, he saw and comprehended it all, even recording a handful of the important aspects. Still, it felt very common and average…. It was a bit dull if Tae was being honest. There was no challenge in carrying bags and he almost felt like his skills were not being used to their fullest, but at least they were being used. Better to fold laundry than roast in a dumpster. Conversation would not have helped the situation, but he did note that there was little dialogue between he and his mistress as they performed these everyday, menial tasks. Phoenix did not seem anti social through all of his observations so far, but it was highly possible that she simply did not feel the need to speak to him specifically, which was fine.
“Dan… yes I imagine that they would. I shall follow you as long as you wish for me to” Tae agreed, remembering the men and women from the first night clearly. It seemed like Phoenix had many companions, he was meeting more everyday, and although he could keep track of all of their names and faces there was the concern that not all of them could be trusted. He now had one master, and although he would not go out of his way to hinder other humans, Phoenix came first and so did her safety. Hopefully, the other coworkers were as kind as they seemed to be the other night. There were far too many crimes in the news everyday not to at least consider the possibility of danger existing, it was a balance of probability that one day something negative would happen to Phoenix since she lived in such a large city.
At the mention of a cover story, Tae’s eyes furrowed in confusion but nodded either way. He understood the logic of keeping his inhuman identity a secret, that was not something the world was ready for at this point and he had a personal desire not to gain that much attention as well. Still, he had a few issues with the cover story. “I’m not sure out biological appearances match, but I can refer to myself in that way while we are out in public.” He did not look Asian in the least bit, he looked more like a male snow white more so than any Chinese male did, but it would have to do since Phoenix was already set on that. There was one other problem that passed through Tae's mind... he was not built to lie. He was made to answer questions, provide answers and services, and that was it. Could he lie? Yes, nothing within his systems prevented him from doing that. But at the same time, was he a good liar? Well, he could not remember for sure so this was a risk. Tae did not like risks.
There was no more time to talk though because it was time to go catch the bus. The topic of his cover story was left on the fence for the moment as Tae’s attention turned to something that he considered more important. He spoke quickly and quietly as they rushed to the bus stop, his inhuman stamina and long legs making the trek easy. “Bus travel is inefficient, especially with me adding to your already financial insecurity. I could search for other jobs that may bring you in more money, I am theoretically capable of getting one as well.... with your permission of course.” Not that he knew the details of what she did for a living or how much she earned, but he could tell that it was not enough. He was now an added burden to her, the opposite of what he should be. “My mistress should not be taking public travel. You deserve better than the average.”
Staying for a while? Did Phoenix plan on sending him away even if they failed to find his old owner? The thought made him crease his brows, but that was it, the display of emotion failed to reach any other part of his face. Even his voice came out the same, semi-monotone as usual. “Tae Lin, the cousin from Phoenix’s mother's side. I will remember that.” This was the last thing Tae got to say before the bus came to a stop only a handful of buildings away from minor chaos. There surely have been worse and more crowded streets in the past, Tae could uncover multiple found footage of riots and wars without much trouble, but for a sunday night this was unexpected. If it had been a weekday, many of the people here would have been leaving work and heading home, but since it was not, it was safe to guess that these people were either shoppers heading home or party goers just coming out. The sun was only just setting so there was probably another hour of light left, or more accurately, it was 56 minutes to dark. The street, which was already a bit too loud for Tae’s senses to be fully aware of everything that was going on, would likely get more crowded once night came.
A crowd of young adults and people that were just young were gathering on the outside of the vaguely familiar building that the pair seemed to be heading towards. Almost unconsciously, Tae paused as they passed the alleyway, the alleyway where he had been found only days ago, and stared with cold blue eyes into the dark street. He wondered, were there any signs of how he got there that still remained? He was repaired now, so maybe with his full capabilities he could find traces of his attackers or what happened to him? This thought quickly left his mechanical brain though, he had been ordered to stay with Phoenix until she told him otherwise. So without another glance towards what may lead to his past, Tae began moving his unusually long legs towards the clubs entrance and towards his mistress.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Tae helped her with her menial tasks without a fuss, much as one would expect. His acceptance of every task she designated to him and every little suggestion she made was a bit jarring, to be honest. There were no questions, no complaints, no moaning and groaning over her boring to-do list like she would have anticipated from another person. It was a stark reminder that her companion was not human, and not like her. It took a little bit of time, but eventually Phoenix got used to having an unquestioning assistant. It was sort of nice to have someone helping her with the little things, if not a bit strange at first.
Keeping with the trend, Tae agreed to accompany her for as long as she wanted. But then, it seemed he finally had some resistance to her thoughts when she suggested they pretend he was her cousin. He had a good point in that he didn't look very Chinese aside from his hair colour, but she waved her hand somewhat dismissively in response. "Don't worry about that, I'll think of something." As they hurried to the bus, she figured that they could explain his appearance by pretending he was half-Chinese. While citizens of mixed heritage were not common back home - at least relative to the entire population - they were definitely not unheard of.
Phoenix went on to think of more details to his back story, but was briefly interrupted while they hurried towards the bus by Tae. She looked at him curiously as he provided his opinion on their mode of transportation, and then offered to look for more lucrative employment not only for her but for himself as well. When he topped it all off by telling her she deserved better than average, the woman couldn't help but let out a laugh - probably the loudest that Tae had witnessed in their short time together. "Tae, that's sweet of you to say." She chuckled, unable to keep a broad smile off her face. "That makes me feel like royalty! But really, I actually do deserve average." It wasn't like she was anyone special, after all. Phoenix wasn't rich, famous, or talented. She was just another adult going about her mediocre life: exactly the type of person who should be taking the bus, in her opinion.
"In any case, I definitely don't want you taking a job" - if she didn't want to leave him alone, she certainly didn't want him to be going off on his own - "and my job's fine for now. Yesterday's shopping set me back a lot, but only temporarily... things will even out again soon." Her job didn't pay too badly, especially not when she factored in tips. The nice thing about getting people intoxicated and helping them have a good time was that, the drunker people got, the looser their wallets got too. Besides, it allowed her enough flexibility to take on odd jobs on the side when she really needed extra cash.
By the time they had reached the bus, she decided to revisit the issue of his heritage while the subject was still relevant. When Tae repeated their story, she gave him a thumbs up. "Right. And you're half-Asian, half-white - that'll explain the way you look. We can say your dad is an ex-pat who is originally from around here... that can explain why you wanted to visit, too." Phoenix nodded, somewhat pleased with how the finer details in her web of lies seemed to be neatly falling into place. She was also satisfied with this explanation, and was fairly sure it would hold up pretty well. It seemed unlikely that many people - if anyone - would question such an innocuous story. It was simple and plausible; more so than if she were to say she suddenly had a long-lost brother, or that he was her boyfriend. And if anyone did have an issue with the story, Phoenix was confident that she could build up more lies around the truth.
With all of that decided, the rest of their bus ride was in relative silence. After a short commute, they pulled up at the stop closest to the club. Phoenix beckoned Tae to follow her as she stepped through the doors and onto the sidewalk. Once her feet touched the ground, she paused to reach into her purse and take out a cigarette. After lighting it in her mouth, she continued on her way towards the club. With every step she took, it became more evident that the growing crowd was the lineup to get in. The woman took in a long drag and exhaled in a long, deep sigh. It was Sunday, but since tomorrow was a stat holiday, it appeared as though college kids and young adults alike decided to take advantage of the long weekend not by spending it with their families but by getting shitfaced to some EDM. It looked like she'd be in for a busy night for sure. But she was ready... especially after dropping so much cash yesterday. Still, once she was close she stopped for a second to finish smoking and simply enjoy the vibrant colours of the evening sky. Even with the buzz of the chattering crowd, this would be the last bit of peace she got until she was finished. By now, she had noticed Tae stopped in front of the alleyway, but decided to leave him be. It wasn't like she needed him to be right at her side, after all - just within eyesight, or within the same area was more than sufficient.
Once finished her cigarette, Phoenix dropped it to the ground and stomped it out underneath the sole of her foot. She saw Tae moving to catch up with her and continued towards the club's entrance where Jose stood, controlling the slow trickle of patrons into the club by handling their cover and IDs. When he saw Phoenix and Tae, he finished up and let two girls pass before he turned to them with a smile. "Hey, what's up? Nice to see you, Tae. It's the whole crew working again tonight, eh Phoenix?"
"Oh hey, listen--" Phoenix glanced over her shoulder at Tae before she motioned for Jose to lean in a bit closer to her. When he did so, she whispered in his ear, "Don't tell anyone how we found him or what he is. He's my cousin from China, okay?" She moved away from him, prompting the muscular male to straighten up as well. With a silent nod, he mimed the motion of zipping his lips.
"Say no more. Have a good night in there, aight?" He then stepped aside, blocking the front of the crowd so the pair could enter the building. Phoenix gave her coworker an appreciative smile before she walked through the doorway. Once Tae entered, Jose gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder before resuming his previous position and duties.
Inside, the club already had a handful of people populating the tables and the dance floor. Dan could be seen distantly behind a DJ booth towards the back of the room with headphones on over his blonde hair. Loud electronic music thudded through the club, the bass deep and pounding in Phoenix's head while the highs of the melody filled her ears from every direction. Like any typical club, the majority of the lighting came from blue and fuchsia spot lights that danced to and fro, occasionally blinding the woman as she walked through the dimly lit establishment towards a door marked 'Staff Only'. As far as nightclubs went, the Velvet Crush was a relatively decent place: with a reasonable cover charge and clean, modern-looking decor, it was relatively popular with the younger crowds. With the exception of a handful of people, Phoenix thought all of the staff provided good service and were good to work with, hence the reason why she had decided to settle down with this job in particular.
The Chinese woman passed by the bar, waving to Wendy who was currently mixing up a drink behind it. She glanced at Tae to ensure he was still following her until she reached the 'Staff Only' door. After quickly punching in a keycode to unlock it, she walked through. Just as she entered, she nearly walked into Ross who was just on his way out. "Sorry, Phoenix," he said as she jumped back slightly. When he saw Tae, he raised his eyebrows slightly. "Whoa, hey! Look who's walking."
"Just so you know, you can't tell anyone about what he is." She walked around him towards a coatrack on the wall and took off her jacket. The room was relatively small with a couch on one side, a table in the middle, and a couple of small lockers where employees could lock up valuables. There was a locked door at the end of the back which led to the office shared by the manager and owner. Phoenix hung up her coat quickly and went over to the locker to deposit her purse for safe keeping. "If anyone asks, he's my cousin from China - that's it." Phoenix looked at Ross square in the eye as she spoke, ensuring that he was listening and understood. She would obviously have to let Wendy and Dan know this as well - especially Dan, being the bigmouth that he was - but they could wait until it was a bit more convenient to speak with them.
"All right, I'll remember that." Ross nodded. "I'll see you guys later then. Let's hope tonight's a good crowd!" With that, he opened the door and returned to the dimly lit heart of the club.
Once her belongings were secured, Phoenix turned to Tae and placed a hand on her hip. With her lips pursed, she studied him silently for a moment. Truthfully, when she decided to bring him with her to work, she hadn't thought about what exactly she wanted him to do. While it seemed like it might be useful to have Tae assist behind the bar, it seemed like it would draw too much attention to him. She supposed it would be safest just to have him sitting in the back room, but there would be a few other staff here tonight who didn't know about Tae at all. Even if they did have his cover story down pat, it didn't make much sense for him to just be hanging out and doing nothing while she worked. At the same time, was it safe to have him roaming the floor of the club all night? The woman deliberated over these facts and possibilities, briefly considering their options before she decided to see if he had any input or ideas. "What do you think about spending time in the club until I'm finished?" She raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's more suspicious for you to stay in this room alone, so that's the only other option. You can..." She trailed off, wondering just what the hell a robot had to do in a nightclub full of twenty-somethings.
"You can learn how to blend in a bit as a human, I guess?" Her voice was slightly lacking in its usual confidence as the words left her mouth. Drunk people didn't exactly exhibit model behaviour that Tae should emulate, though. "Don't try and copy anyone," she added quickly, "but you can mingle if you want and get used to acting human." In a way, perhaps it was best for him to start off amongst a group of people who may not even remember Tae the next morning. "And I'll be in one spot the whole night, so you can always come and find me. I'm sure I'll be able to keep an eye on you too, if you happen to need help with anything."
Keeping with the trend, Tae agreed to accompany her for as long as she wanted. But then, it seemed he finally had some resistance to her thoughts when she suggested they pretend he was her cousin. He had a good point in that he didn't look very Chinese aside from his hair colour, but she waved her hand somewhat dismissively in response. "Don't worry about that, I'll think of something." As they hurried to the bus, she figured that they could explain his appearance by pretending he was half-Chinese. While citizens of mixed heritage were not common back home - at least relative to the entire population - they were definitely not unheard of.
Phoenix went on to think of more details to his back story, but was briefly interrupted while they hurried towards the bus by Tae. She looked at him curiously as he provided his opinion on their mode of transportation, and then offered to look for more lucrative employment not only for her but for himself as well. When he topped it all off by telling her she deserved better than average, the woman couldn't help but let out a laugh - probably the loudest that Tae had witnessed in their short time together. "Tae, that's sweet of you to say." She chuckled, unable to keep a broad smile off her face. "That makes me feel like royalty! But really, I actually do deserve average." It wasn't like she was anyone special, after all. Phoenix wasn't rich, famous, or talented. She was just another adult going about her mediocre life: exactly the type of person who should be taking the bus, in her opinion.
"In any case, I definitely don't want you taking a job" - if she didn't want to leave him alone, she certainly didn't want him to be going off on his own - "and my job's fine for now. Yesterday's shopping set me back a lot, but only temporarily... things will even out again soon." Her job didn't pay too badly, especially not when she factored in tips. The nice thing about getting people intoxicated and helping them have a good time was that, the drunker people got, the looser their wallets got too. Besides, it allowed her enough flexibility to take on odd jobs on the side when she really needed extra cash.
By the time they had reached the bus, she decided to revisit the issue of his heritage while the subject was still relevant. When Tae repeated their story, she gave him a thumbs up. "Right. And you're half-Asian, half-white - that'll explain the way you look. We can say your dad is an ex-pat who is originally from around here... that can explain why you wanted to visit, too." Phoenix nodded, somewhat pleased with how the finer details in her web of lies seemed to be neatly falling into place. She was also satisfied with this explanation, and was fairly sure it would hold up pretty well. It seemed unlikely that many people - if anyone - would question such an innocuous story. It was simple and plausible; more so than if she were to say she suddenly had a long-lost brother, or that he was her boyfriend. And if anyone did have an issue with the story, Phoenix was confident that she could build up more lies around the truth.
With all of that decided, the rest of their bus ride was in relative silence. After a short commute, they pulled up at the stop closest to the club. Phoenix beckoned Tae to follow her as she stepped through the doors and onto the sidewalk. Once her feet touched the ground, she paused to reach into her purse and take out a cigarette. After lighting it in her mouth, she continued on her way towards the club. With every step she took, it became more evident that the growing crowd was the lineup to get in. The woman took in a long drag and exhaled in a long, deep sigh. It was Sunday, but since tomorrow was a stat holiday, it appeared as though college kids and young adults alike decided to take advantage of the long weekend not by spending it with their families but by getting shitfaced to some EDM. It looked like she'd be in for a busy night for sure. But she was ready... especially after dropping so much cash yesterday. Still, once she was close she stopped for a second to finish smoking and simply enjoy the vibrant colours of the evening sky. Even with the buzz of the chattering crowd, this would be the last bit of peace she got until she was finished. By now, she had noticed Tae stopped in front of the alleyway, but decided to leave him be. It wasn't like she needed him to be right at her side, after all - just within eyesight, or within the same area was more than sufficient.
Once finished her cigarette, Phoenix dropped it to the ground and stomped it out underneath the sole of her foot. She saw Tae moving to catch up with her and continued towards the club's entrance where Jose stood, controlling the slow trickle of patrons into the club by handling their cover and IDs. When he saw Phoenix and Tae, he finished up and let two girls pass before he turned to them with a smile. "Hey, what's up? Nice to see you, Tae. It's the whole crew working again tonight, eh Phoenix?"
"Oh hey, listen--" Phoenix glanced over her shoulder at Tae before she motioned for Jose to lean in a bit closer to her. When he did so, she whispered in his ear, "Don't tell anyone how we found him or what he is. He's my cousin from China, okay?" She moved away from him, prompting the muscular male to straighten up as well. With a silent nod, he mimed the motion of zipping his lips.
"Say no more. Have a good night in there, aight?" He then stepped aside, blocking the front of the crowd so the pair could enter the building. Phoenix gave her coworker an appreciative smile before she walked through the doorway. Once Tae entered, Jose gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder before resuming his previous position and duties.
Inside, the club already had a handful of people populating the tables and the dance floor. Dan could be seen distantly behind a DJ booth towards the back of the room with headphones on over his blonde hair. Loud electronic music thudded through the club, the bass deep and pounding in Phoenix's head while the highs of the melody filled her ears from every direction. Like any typical club, the majority of the lighting came from blue and fuchsia spot lights that danced to and fro, occasionally blinding the woman as she walked through the dimly lit establishment towards a door marked 'Staff Only'. As far as nightclubs went, the Velvet Crush was a relatively decent place: with a reasonable cover charge and clean, modern-looking decor, it was relatively popular with the younger crowds. With the exception of a handful of people, Phoenix thought all of the staff provided good service and were good to work with, hence the reason why she had decided to settle down with this job in particular.
The Chinese woman passed by the bar, waving to Wendy who was currently mixing up a drink behind it. She glanced at Tae to ensure he was still following her until she reached the 'Staff Only' door. After quickly punching in a keycode to unlock it, she walked through. Just as she entered, she nearly walked into Ross who was just on his way out. "Sorry, Phoenix," he said as she jumped back slightly. When he saw Tae, he raised his eyebrows slightly. "Whoa, hey! Look who's walking."
"Just so you know, you can't tell anyone about what he is." She walked around him towards a coatrack on the wall and took off her jacket. The room was relatively small with a couch on one side, a table in the middle, and a couple of small lockers where employees could lock up valuables. There was a locked door at the end of the back which led to the office shared by the manager and owner. Phoenix hung up her coat quickly and went over to the locker to deposit her purse for safe keeping. "If anyone asks, he's my cousin from China - that's it." Phoenix looked at Ross square in the eye as she spoke, ensuring that he was listening and understood. She would obviously have to let Wendy and Dan know this as well - especially Dan, being the bigmouth that he was - but they could wait until it was a bit more convenient to speak with them.
"All right, I'll remember that." Ross nodded. "I'll see you guys later then. Let's hope tonight's a good crowd!" With that, he opened the door and returned to the dimly lit heart of the club.
Once her belongings were secured, Phoenix turned to Tae and placed a hand on her hip. With her lips pursed, she studied him silently for a moment. Truthfully, when she decided to bring him with her to work, she hadn't thought about what exactly she wanted him to do. While it seemed like it might be useful to have Tae assist behind the bar, it seemed like it would draw too much attention to him. She supposed it would be safest just to have him sitting in the back room, but there would be a few other staff here tonight who didn't know about Tae at all. Even if they did have his cover story down pat, it didn't make much sense for him to just be hanging out and doing nothing while she worked. At the same time, was it safe to have him roaming the floor of the club all night? The woman deliberated over these facts and possibilities, briefly considering their options before she decided to see if he had any input or ideas. "What do you think about spending time in the club until I'm finished?" She raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's more suspicious for you to stay in this room alone, so that's the only other option. You can..." She trailed off, wondering just what the hell a robot had to do in a nightclub full of twenty-somethings.
"You can learn how to blend in a bit as a human, I guess?" Her voice was slightly lacking in its usual confidence as the words left her mouth. Drunk people didn't exactly exhibit model behaviour that Tae should emulate, though. "Don't try and copy anyone," she added quickly, "but you can mingle if you want and get used to acting human." In a way, perhaps it was best for him to start off amongst a group of people who may not even remember Tae the next morning. "And I'll be in one spot the whole night, so you can always come and find me. I'm sure I'll be able to keep an eye on you too, if you happen to need help with anything."
Viper
One Thousand Club
Tae gave a polite nod to Jose as he greeted Tae and Phoenix, too busy glancing around the area to respond. It’s not that he was uncomfortable around crowds, uncomfortable was not exactly an emotion he had a firm grasp upon, however he had no memory of being around this many people before. It required a different mindset than what he had been using previously, he imagined that there was going to be a bit of a learning curve throughout the night. It was nothing he could not handle though. Humans were not that complex when you simply took time to observe and them replicate their words or mannerisms.
For example, Jose ‘zipping’ his mouth shut was a common way for humans to say that they would keep quiet, typically when dealing with a secret. And when he hit Tae on his shoulder as they entered the club, that was a display of aggression typically used to intimidate or display their superiority, but in some cultures it was an act of friendship performed between men, typically between athletes as a form of celebration.
This moment did not last long however, Tae had to follow Phoenix through the club that was getting more crowded by the minute. He took initiative to look over his mistresses shoulder to memories the code she put into the door, but once it was open he hesitated. And not because a person was standing there, but because he wasn’t sure if he was allowed in the ‘staff only’ room since he was, obviously, not staff. Still he nodded at Ross when he commented on Tae being back on his feet. “ Yes, I am walking now. In fact, I am nearly back to normal.” Tae commented as he followed into the staff room that he did not belong in.
He waited by the door as Phoenix unpacked, waiting for orders and direction. He was told to come, not what he would be doing here, but thankfully he did not have to wait long for what he wanted, “Of course. There is no reason that I cannot ‘mingle’ with humans, my appearance makes that a simple matter. Plus, I know some modern, young adult jargon.” He immediately said, proving that he was in fact not the best at mingling considering he just referred to the others at the club as humans rather than people and described slang as young adult jargon. In truth, he was more likely to succeed in a conversation with geniuses than regular drunk people. Logic made more sense to him than humor or ‘fun’, but that did not change his confidence that he could do anything that was asked of him. “If I need you, I will find you. And if you need me, simply call and I will come running.”
Still, there was not much time for the master and her PET to speak because her shift started only minutes later. That left Tae alone and without guidance in a room filled with people who appeared to be around his physical age, only unlike him, they had respect for boundaries and seemed to be pressed up against one another even if they were strangers. So instead of actively mingling, Tae took a seat not far from the bar, close enough that he could see Phoenix at work but also see the rest of the room. It was harmless what he was doing so he did not expect disapproval and often found himself watching the more… well, slightly more skilled dancers. It was what normal humans did, right? Some people preferred to watch dancers rather than actively participate. If he had a drink in his hand, he would have fit in perfectly with the other 'wall flowers', as they were called.
He did that for an hour, only moving to simulate blinking or breathing, but otherwise he kept still in his seat. No one was paying attention to him but he was paying attention to the crowd that was only getting drunker. Tae only moved when he watched one man stumble on his ways to the door that was located across the club. He could only just see the man, but Tae could see enough through the flashy lights to catch eye of keys gripped in the unsteady mans hand. Before Tae could logic that a club like this, or Jose outside, would be on the lookout for possible drunk drivers, Tae was on the move. He weaved his way through the crowded room with as much speed as he could, his body twisting and spinning through the bodies like some obstacle course.
Tae made it to the man just as he stumbled over someone else's feet, and he almost made it to the ground too but instead found himself being held by the bicep by a pale boy with a much smaller frame. “He-hey, man, thanks!” The drunk man cheerily said as he tried to stand back up on his own but with little luck. Tae sighed and reached out to the man's arm again, only instead this time he wrapped the humans arm around his thinner shoulders that could easily hold the fleshy weight. The human started to speak, the words so slurred that Tae could only look up at the man with blatant confusion.
“Sir, your pronunciation skills seems to be failing you. This likely due to the amount of alcohol you have consumed. Due to this, I have no idea what you are trying to say to me.” Tae started, motioning with his blue eyes towards the keys gripped in the drunk mans spare hand. Tae wanted those keys, it would not be safe for this man to drive home, he could easily endanger himself and others. “You cannot walk and you certainly cannot drive. May I call you a cab or someone you know?” It was at moments like this that you could see the benefit of robotic help, because as the man responded to Tae with some variation of ‘i’m fine’, the robot was instead paying attention to the mans breath. “Sir, your Blood Alcohol Concentration is about .2%, you could pass out at any moment. A cab is already on the way for you so I insist that you wait for it.”
The drunk man momentarily look confused but the moment passed quickly when a sense of nausea overtook the human. Taking advantage of the man’s momentary distraction, Tae began to drag the human out into the street where a cab was just pulling up to the club. The service was likely used to getting calls from this place and kept close, which was good because Tae had called them moments before mid conversation. The drunk man could barely form sentences now, and when Tae pushed him into the cab, he did not resist but instead mumbled something about Tae being stronger than he looked and how he looked like an anime character.
“Can I see your ID or your PET, sir?” Tae asked, not waiting for the response and instead proceeded to go through the strangers pockets until he found what he was looking for. All it took was one search for Tae to not only get the address of this man's home, but also his bank details and criminal records. It turned out that this man was a known drunk who actually had his license suspended for good due to drunk driving three times in the past. As for how Tae get this information… well, he simply put the man's name into his mental search engine, which was what connected him to the internet as well as find certain files and/or pictures stored within him, and a few seconds later he would have information on people. He was not sure what program he was using exactly, but it was always activated when he searched a persons name or PET ID, so there was likely no harm in taking full advantage of the mysterious program. He could tell similar information about Rhys too, but he had no reason to pay attention to any of that information so he never looked into the man. In this case though, Tae relayed the address information to the taxi driver, even paying the man ahead of time with the drunk man's own money, and sent them off without another word.
Tae stood there for a moment before heading back towards the club entrance where he looked up to Jose, debating if it was appropriate to ask a question to him, especially since he was working. In the end though, Tae decided instead go ask Phoenix, “Phoenix. May I ask you something? It will be quick, I assure you.” He immediately said the moment he was able to squeeze to the front of the bar. She was working as well, at a job that actually looked far more busy than Jose’s, but she had said that if he needed something he could ask her. He had to talk rather loud in order to get his question out but if that was what was necessary, he would do it.
“Are all intoxicated people this fragile and stupid?” The question was blunt and to the point, rather rude actually since the bar was likely filled with just this sort of person, The science of alcohol made sense, he knew that people lost the ability to judge as they drank, but as a creature that could not do that even remotely, he found the levels that people could lose logic unbelievable. Why would people choose to willing give away logic? “I just helped a man with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .2% get a cab. He seemed to believe that he was able to drive still despite the fact that he could not even speak clear English. Is this normal? Should I stand by the door to make sure others do not do this or does this establishment have something in place to prevent drunk drivers from getting on the road?” Tae seemed actually worried, and he was. He was programmed to keep people safe if he could, all PETs were. So being around so many potential accidents waiting to happen set him on edge.
For example, Jose ‘zipping’ his mouth shut was a common way for humans to say that they would keep quiet, typically when dealing with a secret. And when he hit Tae on his shoulder as they entered the club, that was a display of aggression typically used to intimidate or display their superiority, but in some cultures it was an act of friendship performed between men, typically between athletes as a form of celebration.
This moment did not last long however, Tae had to follow Phoenix through the club that was getting more crowded by the minute. He took initiative to look over his mistresses shoulder to memories the code she put into the door, but once it was open he hesitated. And not because a person was standing there, but because he wasn’t sure if he was allowed in the ‘staff only’ room since he was, obviously, not staff. Still he nodded at Ross when he commented on Tae being back on his feet. “ Yes, I am walking now. In fact, I am nearly back to normal.” Tae commented as he followed into the staff room that he did not belong in.
He waited by the door as Phoenix unpacked, waiting for orders and direction. He was told to come, not what he would be doing here, but thankfully he did not have to wait long for what he wanted, “Of course. There is no reason that I cannot ‘mingle’ with humans, my appearance makes that a simple matter. Plus, I know some modern, young adult jargon.” He immediately said, proving that he was in fact not the best at mingling considering he just referred to the others at the club as humans rather than people and described slang as young adult jargon. In truth, he was more likely to succeed in a conversation with geniuses than regular drunk people. Logic made more sense to him than humor or ‘fun’, but that did not change his confidence that he could do anything that was asked of him. “If I need you, I will find you. And if you need me, simply call and I will come running.”
Still, there was not much time for the master and her PET to speak because her shift started only minutes later. That left Tae alone and without guidance in a room filled with people who appeared to be around his physical age, only unlike him, they had respect for boundaries and seemed to be pressed up against one another even if they were strangers. So instead of actively mingling, Tae took a seat not far from the bar, close enough that he could see Phoenix at work but also see the rest of the room. It was harmless what he was doing so he did not expect disapproval and often found himself watching the more… well, slightly more skilled dancers. It was what normal humans did, right? Some people preferred to watch dancers rather than actively participate. If he had a drink in his hand, he would have fit in perfectly with the other 'wall flowers', as they were called.
He did that for an hour, only moving to simulate blinking or breathing, but otherwise he kept still in his seat. No one was paying attention to him but he was paying attention to the crowd that was only getting drunker. Tae only moved when he watched one man stumble on his ways to the door that was located across the club. He could only just see the man, but Tae could see enough through the flashy lights to catch eye of keys gripped in the unsteady mans hand. Before Tae could logic that a club like this, or Jose outside, would be on the lookout for possible drunk drivers, Tae was on the move. He weaved his way through the crowded room with as much speed as he could, his body twisting and spinning through the bodies like some obstacle course.
Tae made it to the man just as he stumbled over someone else's feet, and he almost made it to the ground too but instead found himself being held by the bicep by a pale boy with a much smaller frame. “He-hey, man, thanks!” The drunk man cheerily said as he tried to stand back up on his own but with little luck. Tae sighed and reached out to the man's arm again, only instead this time he wrapped the humans arm around his thinner shoulders that could easily hold the fleshy weight. The human started to speak, the words so slurred that Tae could only look up at the man with blatant confusion.
“Sir, your pronunciation skills seems to be failing you. This likely due to the amount of alcohol you have consumed. Due to this, I have no idea what you are trying to say to me.” Tae started, motioning with his blue eyes towards the keys gripped in the drunk mans spare hand. Tae wanted those keys, it would not be safe for this man to drive home, he could easily endanger himself and others. “You cannot walk and you certainly cannot drive. May I call you a cab or someone you know?” It was at moments like this that you could see the benefit of robotic help, because as the man responded to Tae with some variation of ‘i’m fine’, the robot was instead paying attention to the mans breath. “Sir, your Blood Alcohol Concentration is about .2%, you could pass out at any moment. A cab is already on the way for you so I insist that you wait for it.”
The drunk man momentarily look confused but the moment passed quickly when a sense of nausea overtook the human. Taking advantage of the man’s momentary distraction, Tae began to drag the human out into the street where a cab was just pulling up to the club. The service was likely used to getting calls from this place and kept close, which was good because Tae had called them moments before mid conversation. The drunk man could barely form sentences now, and when Tae pushed him into the cab, he did not resist but instead mumbled something about Tae being stronger than he looked and how he looked like an anime character.
“Can I see your ID or your PET, sir?” Tae asked, not waiting for the response and instead proceeded to go through the strangers pockets until he found what he was looking for. All it took was one search for Tae to not only get the address of this man's home, but also his bank details and criminal records. It turned out that this man was a known drunk who actually had his license suspended for good due to drunk driving three times in the past. As for how Tae get this information… well, he simply put the man's name into his mental search engine, which was what connected him to the internet as well as find certain files and/or pictures stored within him, and a few seconds later he would have information on people. He was not sure what program he was using exactly, but it was always activated when he searched a persons name or PET ID, so there was likely no harm in taking full advantage of the mysterious program. He could tell similar information about Rhys too, but he had no reason to pay attention to any of that information so he never looked into the man. In this case though, Tae relayed the address information to the taxi driver, even paying the man ahead of time with the drunk man's own money, and sent them off without another word.
Tae stood there for a moment before heading back towards the club entrance where he looked up to Jose, debating if it was appropriate to ask a question to him, especially since he was working. In the end though, Tae decided instead go ask Phoenix, “Phoenix. May I ask you something? It will be quick, I assure you.” He immediately said the moment he was able to squeeze to the front of the bar. She was working as well, at a job that actually looked far more busy than Jose’s, but she had said that if he needed something he could ask her. He had to talk rather loud in order to get his question out but if that was what was necessary, he would do it.
“Are all intoxicated people this fragile and stupid?” The question was blunt and to the point, rather rude actually since the bar was likely filled with just this sort of person, The science of alcohol made sense, he knew that people lost the ability to judge as they drank, but as a creature that could not do that even remotely, he found the levels that people could lose logic unbelievable. Why would people choose to willing give away logic? “I just helped a man with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .2% get a cab. He seemed to believe that he was able to drive still despite the fact that he could not even speak clear English. Is this normal? Should I stand by the door to make sure others do not do this or does this establishment have something in place to prevent drunk drivers from getting on the road?” Tae seemed actually worried, and he was. He was programmed to keep people safe if he could, all PETs were. So being around so many potential accidents waiting to happen set him on edge.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Phoenix couldn't help but laugh as assured her mingling would be no problem, and that he knew some 'modern, young adult jargon'. "Okay then." She said through chuckles, wondering what kinds of experiences his hip jargon would lead him to. While she wondered for a split second whether or not she should be worried, she decided this was a good an opportunity as any to see how independent Tae was capable of being. He obviously had some form of "free will", seeing as though she did not need to order him to do every single little thing he did, and that he occasionally took the initiative with tasks. And as he mentioned - if he needed her, he would find her. She supposed it felt a little bit comforting to know that the opposite was true as well. "I'll try not to bother you, but I'll definitely keep it in mind."
It was time for her to get to work only a few short minutes after this exchange. Phoenix sighed deeply, silently praying that this crowd wouldn't give her any troubles, before she exited the staff room with Tae behind her. She gave him a smile and a little wave as she left him to his own devices. The woman kept her eye on him until he disappeared into the crowd of dancing youth before she made her way towards the bar, where Wendy was already busy pouring and mixing drinks.
"Hey, girl!" The redheaded woman laid a couple of glasses on the counter, scooping up the bills and coins that were placed down in exchange. "So he's walking now, huh? I gotta say, you do quick work." Wendy picked up a few new cups and began to gather ingredients for her next order. As Phoenix walked to her end of the bar counter, she paused and laid a hand gently on her coworker's shoulder. She leaned in to her ear, just as she had with Jose, and gave her the same message. "'Kay, got it." Wendy nodded as she continued on with her task. Phoenix gave her an appreciative smile before she took her spot at the other end of the bar, and promptly got to work.
The night was just getting started, so there were a lot of orders and few people who were drunk enough to deny. Still, Phoenix had no problem keeping up. She had been in this business long enough to be used to the pace of a busy night, and most orders were pretty simple. College kids and even the slightly older customers never ordered anything too fancy or time-consuming, at least not in a place like this. It was mostly just volume, which was easy enough to keep up with when there were two of them at the bar. As time went on, the crowd peaked and waned, almost like the tides of the sea. Except it was not quite as romantic or nice to look at, and it was occasionally pretty rude.
The hardest part for Phoenix was probably dealing with the assholes - specifically, not snapping back at them. Holding her tongue was difficult sometimes, especially with impatient, entitled kids shrieking that they'd been waiting for hours, or with men who thought they could charm her with disgusting "compliments" about her race. Although she had learned to cope with these challenges over the years, occasionally it was a real struggle to keep herself calm and professional.
Today, it seems, was one of those days. Phoenix gave back change for one order and turned to see a man leaning quite far over the counter, smiling at her. She glanced at Wendy, who was looking over from where she stood, before holding a hand out to the customer. "Sir, you can't lean that far; please move back." She spoke firmly, staring dully at him. He looked to be in his early or mid-thirties - much older than a lot of their usual demographic. While he was not terribly unattractive by conventional standards, his clothes were ill-fitting, and his social skills were lacking, to say the least. He had come to the bar a few times so far tonight, and only once or twice for drinks. Mostly he tried to hit on younger-looking women waiting for their drinks, and when those attempts inevitably failed, he would turn to Wendy or Phoenix. And right now, it seemed like it was her turn.
"All right, all right, honey. No problem, no problem." He put up his hands and straightned up, instead resting one elbow on the counter and leaning into it. "So, you wanna give me your number yet or what?"
"Order a drink if you'd like, but please don't hold up the line." Phoenix nodded her head to some of the other patrons waiting for her attention around her. "That applies to the other side of the bar, too." She pointed a thumb in Wendy's direciton, knowing full well that he would probably drift over to her now that she had ignored his inappropriate request.
"Oh come on, baby, just give me your number and I'll go away!" The man leaned a bit closer, prompting her to hold out her hand again. He gave her a sleazy-looking smile and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I mean, until later, that is..."
She shook her head a little, biting the inside of her lip. There were a million things she wanted to scream at him, and none of them were kind. Deciding he was not worth another breath right now, she simply turned to a younger man standing next to him and gave him her attention instead. "What can I get you?" Honestly, she had no time for this. The night was starting to ramp up, and she had to begin paying attention to how drunk her customers were. She just hoped he would finally get the message and leave them alone for good on his own volition. He wasn't causing quite enough trouble to get kicked out, or even warned by security, but Phoenix decided that she would call one of the guys over next time. She couldn't cuss him out like she wanted to, but surely a stern warning from a tall, muscular man would put a clueless ass like him in his place.
Luckily, the man slunk back into the crowd once he was ignored, and didn't make his way over to Wendy like she had asked. As Phoenix worked on the drinks, she took a moment to scan the crowd. She had tried to keep an eye on Tae through the lights and the chaos, and for the first hour or so it had been easy. The robot had stayed to the side of the room, simply observing the humans partying as humans did. But when she looked back just now, he was gone. She frowned a little and wondered just what had caught his interest enough to get up from his spot. Perhaps he had seen something unusual? Or maybe this is his jam, she thought with a small grin as a new song came on. With this thought, she handed the customer two glasses of rum and coke before she moved onto the next person waiting in the cluster around the counter, any worries long dissipated. Whatever it was, she was sure he was fine. As long as he stayed nearby, she was sure her friends would help look out for him as well.
Then, almost as if to reassure her, Tae showed up at the bar. "Oh, hey. What's up?" Phoenix laid a handful of shot glasses on the counter before she moved to stand in front of him. She tilted her head slightly when he said he had a question for her. "Sure, go ahead." A small wrinkle formed between her eyebrows, but it quickly vanished as she started laughing again. It sounded like Tae was really soaking in the true club experience. "Well, most of them are," she replied once her amusement subsided. But then, as her robotic companion began to elaborate on what he had just experienced, her expression was swiftly serious once more. They were trained to recognize when someone was too drunk, and to deny them further service. But unfortunately, even with the other staff keeping an eye out, there was an occasional person who slipped under the radar. There had even been some instances where people would pay someone else - usually a younger person - to get a drink for them instead.
"It's not normal, no. We don't serve alcohol to people who are too drunk," she replied with a sigh, leaning over the counter a bit so she didn't have to yell over the music. "And the others look out too. But sometimes we miss someone." She could give him a longer explanation later, but for the time being he'd have to have the abridged version. "Thanks for your help, but if you see someone else, just tell one of the security guys - Jose, Ross, or anyone dressed like them, and let them take care of it." Phoenix stood back but held her gaze steady with Tae's bright blue eyes. While it would be helpful to have him help keep an eye out, it wouldn't exactly be suspicion-free. He wasn't part of the staff, so it didn't make any sense for him to act like it. If he did stand by the door like a bouncer, she wasn't sure how she would explain it to her coworkers not in the know.
"No, just leave it to us and go have fun, okay?" Phoenix gave him a thumbs up. "I'll be on break in a couple hours, so we can hang out a bit then."
From the other side of the bar, Wendy called over to them playfully. "Yeah, have fun! That's an order!"
It was time for her to get to work only a few short minutes after this exchange. Phoenix sighed deeply, silently praying that this crowd wouldn't give her any troubles, before she exited the staff room with Tae behind her. She gave him a smile and a little wave as she left him to his own devices. The woman kept her eye on him until he disappeared into the crowd of dancing youth before she made her way towards the bar, where Wendy was already busy pouring and mixing drinks.
"Hey, girl!" The redheaded woman laid a couple of glasses on the counter, scooping up the bills and coins that were placed down in exchange. "So he's walking now, huh? I gotta say, you do quick work." Wendy picked up a few new cups and began to gather ingredients for her next order. As Phoenix walked to her end of the bar counter, she paused and laid a hand gently on her coworker's shoulder. She leaned in to her ear, just as she had with Jose, and gave her the same message. "'Kay, got it." Wendy nodded as she continued on with her task. Phoenix gave her an appreciative smile before she took her spot at the other end of the bar, and promptly got to work.
The night was just getting started, so there were a lot of orders and few people who were drunk enough to deny. Still, Phoenix had no problem keeping up. She had been in this business long enough to be used to the pace of a busy night, and most orders were pretty simple. College kids and even the slightly older customers never ordered anything too fancy or time-consuming, at least not in a place like this. It was mostly just volume, which was easy enough to keep up with when there were two of them at the bar. As time went on, the crowd peaked and waned, almost like the tides of the sea. Except it was not quite as romantic or nice to look at, and it was occasionally pretty rude.
The hardest part for Phoenix was probably dealing with the assholes - specifically, not snapping back at them. Holding her tongue was difficult sometimes, especially with impatient, entitled kids shrieking that they'd been waiting for hours, or with men who thought they could charm her with disgusting "compliments" about her race. Although she had learned to cope with these challenges over the years, occasionally it was a real struggle to keep herself calm and professional.
Today, it seems, was one of those days. Phoenix gave back change for one order and turned to see a man leaning quite far over the counter, smiling at her. She glanced at Wendy, who was looking over from where she stood, before holding a hand out to the customer. "Sir, you can't lean that far; please move back." She spoke firmly, staring dully at him. He looked to be in his early or mid-thirties - much older than a lot of their usual demographic. While he was not terribly unattractive by conventional standards, his clothes were ill-fitting, and his social skills were lacking, to say the least. He had come to the bar a few times so far tonight, and only once or twice for drinks. Mostly he tried to hit on younger-looking women waiting for their drinks, and when those attempts inevitably failed, he would turn to Wendy or Phoenix. And right now, it seemed like it was her turn.
"All right, all right, honey. No problem, no problem." He put up his hands and straightned up, instead resting one elbow on the counter and leaning into it. "So, you wanna give me your number yet or what?"
"Order a drink if you'd like, but please don't hold up the line." Phoenix nodded her head to some of the other patrons waiting for her attention around her. "That applies to the other side of the bar, too." She pointed a thumb in Wendy's direciton, knowing full well that he would probably drift over to her now that she had ignored his inappropriate request.
"Oh come on, baby, just give me your number and I'll go away!" The man leaned a bit closer, prompting her to hold out her hand again. He gave her a sleazy-looking smile and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I mean, until later, that is..."
She shook her head a little, biting the inside of her lip. There were a million things she wanted to scream at him, and none of them were kind. Deciding he was not worth another breath right now, she simply turned to a younger man standing next to him and gave him her attention instead. "What can I get you?" Honestly, she had no time for this. The night was starting to ramp up, and she had to begin paying attention to how drunk her customers were. She just hoped he would finally get the message and leave them alone for good on his own volition. He wasn't causing quite enough trouble to get kicked out, or even warned by security, but Phoenix decided that she would call one of the guys over next time. She couldn't cuss him out like she wanted to, but surely a stern warning from a tall, muscular man would put a clueless ass like him in his place.
Luckily, the man slunk back into the crowd once he was ignored, and didn't make his way over to Wendy like she had asked. As Phoenix worked on the drinks, she took a moment to scan the crowd. She had tried to keep an eye on Tae through the lights and the chaos, and for the first hour or so it had been easy. The robot had stayed to the side of the room, simply observing the humans partying as humans did. But when she looked back just now, he was gone. She frowned a little and wondered just what had caught his interest enough to get up from his spot. Perhaps he had seen something unusual? Or maybe this is his jam, she thought with a small grin as a new song came on. With this thought, she handed the customer two glasses of rum and coke before she moved onto the next person waiting in the cluster around the counter, any worries long dissipated. Whatever it was, she was sure he was fine. As long as he stayed nearby, she was sure her friends would help look out for him as well.
Then, almost as if to reassure her, Tae showed up at the bar. "Oh, hey. What's up?" Phoenix laid a handful of shot glasses on the counter before she moved to stand in front of him. She tilted her head slightly when he said he had a question for her. "Sure, go ahead." A small wrinkle formed between her eyebrows, but it quickly vanished as she started laughing again. It sounded like Tae was really soaking in the true club experience. "Well, most of them are," she replied once her amusement subsided. But then, as her robotic companion began to elaborate on what he had just experienced, her expression was swiftly serious once more. They were trained to recognize when someone was too drunk, and to deny them further service. But unfortunately, even with the other staff keeping an eye out, there was an occasional person who slipped under the radar. There had even been some instances where people would pay someone else - usually a younger person - to get a drink for them instead.
"It's not normal, no. We don't serve alcohol to people who are too drunk," she replied with a sigh, leaning over the counter a bit so she didn't have to yell over the music. "And the others look out too. But sometimes we miss someone." She could give him a longer explanation later, but for the time being he'd have to have the abridged version. "Thanks for your help, but if you see someone else, just tell one of the security guys - Jose, Ross, or anyone dressed like them, and let them take care of it." Phoenix stood back but held her gaze steady with Tae's bright blue eyes. While it would be helpful to have him help keep an eye out, it wouldn't exactly be suspicion-free. He wasn't part of the staff, so it didn't make any sense for him to act like it. If he did stand by the door like a bouncer, she wasn't sure how she would explain it to her coworkers not in the know.
"No, just leave it to us and go have fun, okay?" Phoenix gave him a thumbs up. "I'll be on break in a couple hours, so we can hang out a bit then."
From the other side of the bar, Wendy called over to them playfully. "Yeah, have fun! That's an order!"
Viper
One Thousand Club
The idea of not actively keeping people off of the road did not appeal to Tae, but he nodded blankly once more. “Very well, I suppose I can simply inform the others should I see any more extreme warnings.” As Phoenix looked at him in the eyes, Tae stared back unblinking, wondering if there was something wrong that she felt the need to give him such a serious stare. But just as Tae was wondering that, Phoenix suddenly threw up a thumbs up to encourage him to have fun.
“I-don’t know how-” He started to answer, tempted to explain that fun was not a familiar emotion to him and that it was hard to replicate it since it was apparently different to each individual, but as Wendy called out, Tae suddenly halted his speech. Anyone else would see a trick of the light, but as Wendy said ‘that’s an order’ there was a brief flash of blue cross Tae’s eyes. As Tae stood frozen in place, he was suddenly washed with one simple question. Was Wendy certified to give him orders in addition to his mistress? They were friends and coworkers, not to mention she had been trusted to keep Tae’s secret, so based on her apparent relation to Phoenix, the answer was that for now she could give direct orders and Tae would be powerless to disobey them.
After a brief glance towards the two women, Tae suddenly turned without a word and walked away from the pair. It was one thing for someone to directly tell him what to do, he could ignore and interpret that however he wished, but unknown to Tae, when someone said the words ‘i order you to __’ or ‘that’s an order’ he actually had to obey. There was complicated programming within him, built around key phrases and triggers that would make him act a certain way… not that he understood this though. To him it was the same as any instinct he had to serve, only a touch more powerful.
Although Tae did not know what was fun to him, likely nothing, he was able to do a image search of ‘how to have fun at a club’ and he was set. Drinking was out of the question, which meant that if the related images were right, dancing with others was the only other main activity to do here. Scanning the sides of the club, Tae was looking for something specific. A mix gendered group specifically, but who looked like they were having a good time and were more tipsy than actually drunk. Now, if some of them were watching the dance floor or tapping their foot then all the better. It was an easy find thankfully.
With a complete lack of embarrassment or shyness, Tae approached the group and actually smiled as he approached them. It was small, no teeth or anything, but it was a smile at least. “Hello!” He said to the group over the loud music, “Do any of you want to dance? My… friend is busy and won’t dance with me.” The group looked confused at first but then the girls started giggling while the men were just surprised that Tae had also looked at them while asking. Tae naturally did not care about genders, why should he? His gender was only physical and otherwise was not even real.
“Oh, sorry. But we are taken already!” One of the girls said, pointing towards herself and her friend, implying that they were in a relationship with the other boys at the table. “Buuuuuuut” the word was drawn out as all attention was purposefully drawn to one of the girls sitting at the end who was starting to blush as she realized what her friend was doing, “Annie here isn't. And she loves to dance, don’t you Annie?”
“Chloe, can you not?” The girl said her voice angry but her face scarlet. Turing to Tae the girl smiled but held up her hands in a surrender, “I-really am not looking to get with anyone so thank you, but-”
At this point Tae cut her off, “I am not looking to ‘get with’ anyone either.” Whatever that meant… “You can just come or all of you can, I truly am just looking for dance partners.” Holding out his hand once more, not far from what people would do at balls actually, he once again prompted her to come with him. “I just want to have fun and dancing is the way to do that. That’s it.”
With some hesitation and some not so silent encouragement from her friends, the girl named Annie agreed and Tae lead her to the dance floor where things got… interesting. There was no manual on how to dance like this, no videos that displayed club dancing as anything more than jumping or slightly swaying in place. Even interacting with other dancers was more just running into them or purposefully pressing against them in ways far too lewd to be polite. Annie seemed happy though, she clearly liked to dance and even without Tae prompting her to do anything she started moving to the beat. Apparently, as shy as she was to get out here, she really wanted to be on the dance floor rather than at a table.
Tae attempted to semi follow Annie’s movements but even those did not really fit the definition of dancing, so he was a bit too conflicted to focus. How this constituted as fun Tae did not know, but he knew he was not following orders yet. That is until a popular song came on, it was near the top of the charts, but even better, it had a music video that displaced people dancing. Unknown to Tae, most people at clubs did not do choreographed dances, but as the song kicked up, Tae began performing the moves shown in the music video. Copying was easy. The structure, the order of it, not to mention his natural mobility made him not only appear that he knew what he was doing, but that he knew how to do it well.
Half way through the song, Annie, loving the idea that he must have been a ‘superfan’ of the song, began to cheer him on and even tried to follow his moves too. Naturally, two people doing the same choreography attracted attention more than just one, so before you knew it, Annie was just trying to keep up as Tae almost flawlessly performed the music video by ‘memory’ to a small crowd that actually moved out of the way to watch and cheer him on. Of course, his decent looks didn't hurt his chances at drawing and keeping the crowd either.
By the time the song ended Tae felt… better. He stood in the middle of a crowd of drunks, most out of breath due to trying and mostly failing to do the dance too. It was a mass of sweat and gasps, and at the middle, a porcelain doll with a smile on his face and not a hair out of place. No other songs with such implicit dance instructions came up but now there was enough of a crowd of people around him, wanting to dance with or just near him. He still stood out from the group, not understanding the simple grind method many used and instead tried to do actual moves, but it was an innocent learning experience for Tae. There was no wrong moves, no consequences or bar to measure up to, he was free to move his body in whatever way he wanted…. And how he wanted to seemed to include a lot of kicks and spins, his long legs making the movements seem larger and more dynamic than if someone else were to do them. Sadly though, there was rarely enough space on the dance floor do perform to the full extent.
“Okay, I think I hit my limit” Annie said laughing even though she was wiping sweat from her brow, “Are you and your never ending stamina going to keep dancing or will you let a girl buy you a drink?” She had to yell over the music and other chatting people in the crowd but Tae could hear her.
At the question itself though he cocked his head to the side, debating if he wanted to stop dancing, which was familiar to him in more ways than one and far from unpleasant. “I don’t drink.” He said bluntly, Annie looking shocked at the blunt refusal. Tae, for all of his lack of emotions himself and lack of empathy, could recognize sadness when he saw it by the crease of the brows. “But I will accompany you, if you would like.”
Annies lightly curled hair bounced as she nodded, taking Tae’s hand and pulling them through the crowd so that they would not get seperated. And when they got to the bar, Annie had let go of his hand but she had pulled her barstool close to Tae, close enough that their knees were touching. Tae, not understanding the implications of the physical act, ignored it. He had no personal boundaries after all.
Annie placed her order to Phoenix, some fruity drink called a mojito, but she barely glanced at the bartender. Tae on the other hand was looking at Phoenix, feeling that he had completed the order Wendy gave him and was also now doing what Phoenix asked, learning how to act human. He was pleased with his accomplishments.
“Sooooo-” Annie started, lightly spinning the straw in her drink as she smiled at her dance partner that had impressed her far more than she expected him to. “You're a pretty good dancer, you know that? Are you a professional or something, because I sadly don’t think I’ve seen you anywhere before.” Her voice implying that she wanted that to change. Before she had seemed unwilling and not wanting to hook up with anyone, but Tae’s actions had changed her mind already and the fact that he was far more docile and blank off of the dance floor not swaying her. “You got a name I can attach those moves to?”
“Tae Lin” He responded, remembering his instructions, glancing towards Phoenix even though he was answering Annie. He wasn't sure if Phoenix could hear them, but even if she could not his answer would have been the same. “I’m visiting my cousin here for a while. And no, I’m not a professional dancer, I’m unemployed at the moment. Most of my time is spent serving my cousin since she is kind enough to let me stay with her.” The word serving was not a wise choice, but Annie did not notice the odd choice in word, too busy closing the distance between the pair even more so than before and Tae… well, he was busy not noticing either of those things. “That’s her over there.” He said casually, pointing towards Phoenix. “She is the reason I am here tonight.”
“Well then, remind me to give her a big tip for doing that.” Annie said with a giggle, not really joking. “Oh I’m Annie, by the way, Annie Carmichael. And this… is Rubert.” With a flourish, Annie pulled out a small ball, no bigger than a clenched fist, that roughly unfolded into a hummingbird. A PET. Either due to the drink or her surprise that she was being so forward, there was a blush on Annie’s face as the PET fluttered into the air and hovered around their heads. This was a normal sight in a world filled with PETs though so nobody paid much attention. “If you are only here for a short time, is there any chance I could get your information? I’d love to go dancing together again, or…. Something else.” Another giggle, this time holding more nerves than humor.
Tae did not answer. It’s not like he had a PET to share information with, he only had himself and he was not his own property. His contact list was not for his own social interactions, and to what purpose this girl wanted to see him again was an unknown, they were strangers with no reason to ever meet again. But when Tae answered, he was not thinking of feelings, he was only thinking of the fact that Phoenix probably did not want to know with woman and would likely disapprove of him sharing his own information without her approval. They were trying to keep a low profile after all. “That would not be appropriate.” As he rejected Annie, his face held no sorrow or pity, it was empty and business like. He could have been listing off groceries for the amount of care he put into his words, “I can’t hand out my information to random people I meet. Plus, it would not be wise to clog my contact list with strangers. You should not want to hand out information to strangers so easily either, crime rates in this city have increased by 3% since this time last year, especially for young women in your age demographic. You could get hurt doing such foolish acts.”
Annie did not cry or lash out at the rejection which was as cold as the drink she was clenching in her hand, she simply put away her PET silently, her sweet and bouncy attitude gone in a flash. “Ah, well, sorry to ask then.” She said, hurt more by the way he said no than the fact that he said no. “Thanks for the dance, Tae, but I should be going back to my friends. See ya.” And with that, she stood up and walked away, leaving Tae unfazed at the bar… alone.
“I-don’t know how-” He started to answer, tempted to explain that fun was not a familiar emotion to him and that it was hard to replicate it since it was apparently different to each individual, but as Wendy called out, Tae suddenly halted his speech. Anyone else would see a trick of the light, but as Wendy said ‘that’s an order’ there was a brief flash of blue cross Tae’s eyes. As Tae stood frozen in place, he was suddenly washed with one simple question. Was Wendy certified to give him orders in addition to his mistress? They were friends and coworkers, not to mention she had been trusted to keep Tae’s secret, so based on her apparent relation to Phoenix, the answer was that for now she could give direct orders and Tae would be powerless to disobey them.
After a brief glance towards the two women, Tae suddenly turned without a word and walked away from the pair. It was one thing for someone to directly tell him what to do, he could ignore and interpret that however he wished, but unknown to Tae, when someone said the words ‘i order you to __’ or ‘that’s an order’ he actually had to obey. There was complicated programming within him, built around key phrases and triggers that would make him act a certain way… not that he understood this though. To him it was the same as any instinct he had to serve, only a touch more powerful.
Although Tae did not know what was fun to him, likely nothing, he was able to do a image search of ‘how to have fun at a club’ and he was set. Drinking was out of the question, which meant that if the related images were right, dancing with others was the only other main activity to do here. Scanning the sides of the club, Tae was looking for something specific. A mix gendered group specifically, but who looked like they were having a good time and were more tipsy than actually drunk. Now, if some of them were watching the dance floor or tapping their foot then all the better. It was an easy find thankfully.
With a complete lack of embarrassment or shyness, Tae approached the group and actually smiled as he approached them. It was small, no teeth or anything, but it was a smile at least. “Hello!” He said to the group over the loud music, “Do any of you want to dance? My… friend is busy and won’t dance with me.” The group looked confused at first but then the girls started giggling while the men were just surprised that Tae had also looked at them while asking. Tae naturally did not care about genders, why should he? His gender was only physical and otherwise was not even real.
“Oh, sorry. But we are taken already!” One of the girls said, pointing towards herself and her friend, implying that they were in a relationship with the other boys at the table. “Buuuuuuut” the word was drawn out as all attention was purposefully drawn to one of the girls sitting at the end who was starting to blush as she realized what her friend was doing, “Annie here isn't. And she loves to dance, don’t you Annie?”
“Chloe, can you not?” The girl said her voice angry but her face scarlet. Turing to Tae the girl smiled but held up her hands in a surrender, “I-really am not looking to get with anyone so thank you, but-”
At this point Tae cut her off, “I am not looking to ‘get with’ anyone either.” Whatever that meant… “You can just come or all of you can, I truly am just looking for dance partners.” Holding out his hand once more, not far from what people would do at balls actually, he once again prompted her to come with him. “I just want to have fun and dancing is the way to do that. That’s it.”
With some hesitation and some not so silent encouragement from her friends, the girl named Annie agreed and Tae lead her to the dance floor where things got… interesting. There was no manual on how to dance like this, no videos that displayed club dancing as anything more than jumping or slightly swaying in place. Even interacting with other dancers was more just running into them or purposefully pressing against them in ways far too lewd to be polite. Annie seemed happy though, she clearly liked to dance and even without Tae prompting her to do anything she started moving to the beat. Apparently, as shy as she was to get out here, she really wanted to be on the dance floor rather than at a table.
Tae attempted to semi follow Annie’s movements but even those did not really fit the definition of dancing, so he was a bit too conflicted to focus. How this constituted as fun Tae did not know, but he knew he was not following orders yet. That is until a popular song came on, it was near the top of the charts, but even better, it had a music video that displaced people dancing. Unknown to Tae, most people at clubs did not do choreographed dances, but as the song kicked up, Tae began performing the moves shown in the music video. Copying was easy. The structure, the order of it, not to mention his natural mobility made him not only appear that he knew what he was doing, but that he knew how to do it well.
Half way through the song, Annie, loving the idea that he must have been a ‘superfan’ of the song, began to cheer him on and even tried to follow his moves too. Naturally, two people doing the same choreography attracted attention more than just one, so before you knew it, Annie was just trying to keep up as Tae almost flawlessly performed the music video by ‘memory’ to a small crowd that actually moved out of the way to watch and cheer him on. Of course, his decent looks didn't hurt his chances at drawing and keeping the crowd either.
By the time the song ended Tae felt… better. He stood in the middle of a crowd of drunks, most out of breath due to trying and mostly failing to do the dance too. It was a mass of sweat and gasps, and at the middle, a porcelain doll with a smile on his face and not a hair out of place. No other songs with such implicit dance instructions came up but now there was enough of a crowd of people around him, wanting to dance with or just near him. He still stood out from the group, not understanding the simple grind method many used and instead tried to do actual moves, but it was an innocent learning experience for Tae. There was no wrong moves, no consequences or bar to measure up to, he was free to move his body in whatever way he wanted…. And how he wanted to seemed to include a lot of kicks and spins, his long legs making the movements seem larger and more dynamic than if someone else were to do them. Sadly though, there was rarely enough space on the dance floor do perform to the full extent.
“Okay, I think I hit my limit” Annie said laughing even though she was wiping sweat from her brow, “Are you and your never ending stamina going to keep dancing or will you let a girl buy you a drink?” She had to yell over the music and other chatting people in the crowd but Tae could hear her.
At the question itself though he cocked his head to the side, debating if he wanted to stop dancing, which was familiar to him in more ways than one and far from unpleasant. “I don’t drink.” He said bluntly, Annie looking shocked at the blunt refusal. Tae, for all of his lack of emotions himself and lack of empathy, could recognize sadness when he saw it by the crease of the brows. “But I will accompany you, if you would like.”
Annies lightly curled hair bounced as she nodded, taking Tae’s hand and pulling them through the crowd so that they would not get seperated. And when they got to the bar, Annie had let go of his hand but she had pulled her barstool close to Tae, close enough that their knees were touching. Tae, not understanding the implications of the physical act, ignored it. He had no personal boundaries after all.
Annie placed her order to Phoenix, some fruity drink called a mojito, but she barely glanced at the bartender. Tae on the other hand was looking at Phoenix, feeling that he had completed the order Wendy gave him and was also now doing what Phoenix asked, learning how to act human. He was pleased with his accomplishments.
“Sooooo-” Annie started, lightly spinning the straw in her drink as she smiled at her dance partner that had impressed her far more than she expected him to. “You're a pretty good dancer, you know that? Are you a professional or something, because I sadly don’t think I’ve seen you anywhere before.” Her voice implying that she wanted that to change. Before she had seemed unwilling and not wanting to hook up with anyone, but Tae’s actions had changed her mind already and the fact that he was far more docile and blank off of the dance floor not swaying her. “You got a name I can attach those moves to?”
“Tae Lin” He responded, remembering his instructions, glancing towards Phoenix even though he was answering Annie. He wasn't sure if Phoenix could hear them, but even if she could not his answer would have been the same. “I’m visiting my cousin here for a while. And no, I’m not a professional dancer, I’m unemployed at the moment. Most of my time is spent serving my cousin since she is kind enough to let me stay with her.” The word serving was not a wise choice, but Annie did not notice the odd choice in word, too busy closing the distance between the pair even more so than before and Tae… well, he was busy not noticing either of those things. “That’s her over there.” He said casually, pointing towards Phoenix. “She is the reason I am here tonight.”
“Well then, remind me to give her a big tip for doing that.” Annie said with a giggle, not really joking. “Oh I’m Annie, by the way, Annie Carmichael. And this… is Rubert.” With a flourish, Annie pulled out a small ball, no bigger than a clenched fist, that roughly unfolded into a hummingbird. A PET. Either due to the drink or her surprise that she was being so forward, there was a blush on Annie’s face as the PET fluttered into the air and hovered around their heads. This was a normal sight in a world filled with PETs though so nobody paid much attention. “If you are only here for a short time, is there any chance I could get your information? I’d love to go dancing together again, or…. Something else.” Another giggle, this time holding more nerves than humor.
Tae did not answer. It’s not like he had a PET to share information with, he only had himself and he was not his own property. His contact list was not for his own social interactions, and to what purpose this girl wanted to see him again was an unknown, they were strangers with no reason to ever meet again. But when Tae answered, he was not thinking of feelings, he was only thinking of the fact that Phoenix probably did not want to know with woman and would likely disapprove of him sharing his own information without her approval. They were trying to keep a low profile after all. “That would not be appropriate.” As he rejected Annie, his face held no sorrow or pity, it was empty and business like. He could have been listing off groceries for the amount of care he put into his words, “I can’t hand out my information to random people I meet. Plus, it would not be wise to clog my contact list with strangers. You should not want to hand out information to strangers so easily either, crime rates in this city have increased by 3% since this time last year, especially for young women in your age demographic. You could get hurt doing such foolish acts.”
Annie did not cry or lash out at the rejection which was as cold as the drink she was clenching in her hand, she simply put away her PET silently, her sweet and bouncy attitude gone in a flash. “Ah, well, sorry to ask then.” She said, hurt more by the way he said no than the fact that he said no. “Thanks for the dance, Tae, but I should be going back to my friends. See ya.” And with that, she stood up and walked away, leaving Tae unfazed at the bar… alone.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
As soon as the words left her mouth, Phoenix realized that telling a robot to have fun as a silly thing to do. But she thought little of it, especially as a young woman suddenly pushed her way into her line of sight to get her order taken. She nodded as she began to prepare the drinks, her attention drawn away from Tae just when he started to speak. She intended to speak to him again, but by the time she had completed the order and looked back up, the android had disappeared back into the crowd. Phoenix peered around for a moment, briefly wondering where he had gone off to, before yet another tipsy clubgoer sauntered up to the counter in front of her. Well, I'm sure he's fine, she told herself as she continued on with her work.
While Tae was lost to the crowd, Phoenix kept at it. Shortly after he left to go off on his own, the crowd around the bar began to thin now that more patrons were liquored up enough to dance. Business would undoubtedly pick up again soon, so she took the small break to wipe down the counter and tidy up her workspace. While she cleaned, Wendy approached her and leaned against the countertop. "So, Tae's actually kinda cute, isn't he?" The redhead grinned. "I mean, for... you know. Anyway, I'm actually really surprised."
Phoenix looked up and raised an eyebrow at her coworker. "Look at you and your change of heart. You seemed terrified of him the other day." She gave the countertop another wipe before she rinsed out her cloth in the sink at the corner of the bar.
"Well, that was then and this is now!" Wendy giggled, following her to the sink. As Phoenix turned off the tap, the other bartender placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke quietly in her ear. "So I gotta ask you, does he look human in every way?"
The Chinese woman wrung out her cloth and stepped back from Wendy, a deep frown on her lips. "I don't know because I'm not a dirty pervert like you." Thanks to Tae unceremoniously changing his clothes in front of her yesterday, she had an educated guess, but she wasn't about to give her friend an excuse to keep talking about this subject. She placed the cloth on the side of the metal sink to dry. When she turned back to the other woman, there was a small smile on her lips. "You really need to get laid." It was not uncommon for Wendy to talk about her sex life among their work group so in turn, it was common for them to tease her about it as well.
"Then are you giving me permission to find out the answer myself? Ohh Taaaae, where are you, Tae?" Wendy stood on her tip-toes, scanning the crowd with a smirk.
Phoenix shook her head, laughing a little as she walked past her to straighten out some of the bottles on the back shelf. "Listen, why don't you take a break and try to find someone else to take home with you?"
Wendy fell back onto the heels of her feet and pursed her lips, considering this suggestion for a moment before she nodded. "That's actually a good idea. All right, I'll be back in a bit." She winked at Phoenix before she sauntered away from the bar and to the staff room, most likely to freshen up. She watched her go for a moment, shaking her head a little as she finished tidying the display of bottles that they stood in front of. Wendy was actually a very attractive woman, but she had gone through a messy divorce recently which left her a single mom with a school-aged child, which evidently made her love life a little bit complicated. Nevertheless, she was a good person and probably her favourite person to work with. Things were fun with her around, and more importantly, the night always seemed to go a little smoother with her at the other end of the bar.
Shortly after Wendy left, a handful of people came up with some orders. Phoenix went through each like clockwork, swiftly tending to one after the other. After sending the bulk of them on their way, she saw the older man from earlier tap a young, pretty girl on the shoulder just in front of the bar. She promptly began to dry some glasses, appearing to be preoccupied but glancing up now and then to watch him ultimately - and unsurprisingly - strike out. Some small part of her felt a bit sorry for him, but at a certain point it was truly just his own fault. He was completely out of his element in nearly every way possible, and the painful lack of self-awareness did not help his cause in the least. But then, any trace of pity Phoenix felt immediately evaporated as she saw him slowly making his way over towards the bar again. Swearing under her breath in Cantonese, she reached under the counter for a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Hey, could I get a security guard to the bar? We've been dealing with a guy all night but he's not taking the hint."
After a brief moment, she heard a short burst of static followed by Ross' voice. "Yeah, Phee, coming over to you."
Before she could thank him, the man had practically thrown himself onto the counter again. "Baby! It's you!" A few younger patrons standing next to him burst out laughing before they quickly moved away, chattering loudly about how much of a loser her was. The man was completely unaware to their mockery, however, and took a seat on the stool. He placed his elbows on the counter and cupped his hands around his cheeks, his chin resting in the nook formed by his palms. "How's your night? Change your mind about coming home with me? I can show you a real good time if you just gimme a chance..." Much to her relief, he was slurring his words a little bit more now - so perhaps they could just throw him out and say he was too drunk to stay in the club.
Folding her arms across her chest, Phoenix decided to pursue this line of reasoning. "Sir, you've had too much to drink. I'm afraid I can't serve you any more." Truthfully, he wasn't actually too intoxicated, but if he had given them so much trouble at mild levels of drunkenness, she had absolutely no interest in finding out what he was like after a few more drinks. "If you can't be respectful to the staff and other customers, we'll have to ask you to leave."
"Awww, come on. Where's your hot friend then?" He laid his arms down on the counter and looked around. "She looks like she's been around the block a few times, I'm sure she's up for some of me--"
"That's enough." She spat the two words out like venom, her eyes sharpened into a glare as she felt the heat of anger beginning to rise up her neck. If she had met this man on the street, she would have definitely given him a piece of her mind and then some. In fact, part of her wished that she could meet him outside the club just so that she could let loose and let out everything she had to bottle up for the sake of professionalism. Luckily, Ross came up to them just in time and laid a hand firmly on the man's shoulder. Phoenix took in a few deep breaths, forcing herself to quell her anger now that her coworker had stepped in to take care of things. "He's had too much to drink," she reported once she settled down a little.
"Wha-- I have not, she's lying-- I barely drank anything!"
Ross shook his head. "Come on, buddy. I've seen you - you've been harassing the staff and too many of the other customers. It's time to go home." He flapped his fingers upwards, motioning for the man to get up from his seat. But he made no sign of moving. "I don't want to force you, so let's just go nice and easy." And still, nothing. A small crowd had formed around the scene, mostly comprised of college kids watching behind their drinks. At the same time, another crowd had formed nearby on the dance floor, apparently around someone who was really tearing it up. But Phoenix's attention was focused squarely on the belligerent customer planted firmly in the stool in front of her.
"No! It's my right to be here, I paid cover and everything. I'm not done, I'm not going home yet. You can't make me!" His hands moved from the counter to the stool, where he seemed to be gripping onto the sides of the seat.
She saw Ross sigh before he took the man by the arm and pulled him up: first gently, then with a bit more force once the man was obviously not letting go. "All right, come on." The customer continued to resist, wiggling and thrashing like a tantrum-throwing child with an explicit vocabulary. But being much bigger and stronger, the bouncer was able to lead him towards the door with relative ease, although he had to dodge a couple of clumsy smacks and punches from the man. Phoenix watched as the pair disappeared out the door and breathed a sigh of relief. She was grateful for the security staff here, as well - while there were one or two of them that would have given the man one more chance, most were like Ross and had no tolerance for harassment. It made things much easier when she knew there were people that had her back and were interested in keeping both the customers and the team safe.
The crowd watching the scene began to disperse, but the one on the dance floor remained. Occasionally they would get someone who was really good at dancing go all out in the middle of the dance floor and get everyone else pumped, too. It was always hilarious trying to see everyone else trying to dance along, especially once people had gotten a bit drunk. Phoenix watched for a moment, welcoming the amusing distraction after the rather infuriating encounter. But the song soon came to an end, and people started to turn to their own clusters as the next one started. Nevertheless she was over her anger now, and resumed her duties making up and serving drinks. Surprisingly, there were a number of people who were much too intoxicated to serve and whom she had to turn away. It was a bit early in the night to see people so drunk, but she supposed that a number of them probably did pre-drinking before coming into the club as well.
After working through about half a dozen orders, Phoenix was surprised to see Tae sitting at the bar with a pretty cute looking girl. She couldn't help but grin as she glanced from her to Tae, who was naturally just looking at her with his blank robotic gaze. "All right, one mojito," she repeated as she got to work on making one up. Once it was ready she placed it in front of the girl and took the payment before moving onto the next person. However, even as she took other orders and made other drinks, she consciously eavesdropped on their conversation. She was extremely amused to hear that he had been actually dancing, but was terribly disappointed that she had missed the whole thing. While she couldn't catch every single word he said, she could tell that he was sticking to their story as they had agreed - although it was not that she expected anything different.
When she saw the girl taking out her PET, Phoenix began to feel sorry for her. She knew where their conversation was going and she was sure how it would ultimately end. But what she didn't expect was for Tae to give her such a matter-of-fact rejection. The girl's PET disappeared after a moment, leaving Phoenix fighting off a cringe while she handed over a drink to someone. Once the girl said her good-byes to her 'cousin', Phoenix served the last few people waiting at the bar before she walked over to Tae. The woman smiled at him, shaking her head a little as she placed a hand on the countertop and leaned onto it. "You heartbreaker, Tae." Then, quickly remembering that she couldn't simply joke around, she added, "Although, you did the right thing." After all, it wasn't like she would've wanted him to give her any information, or god forbid go home with her.
"If someone asks you for your info again, maybe you can just tell them you have a girlfriend. Or boyfriend, I guess." Phoenix shrugged a shoulder. She didn't think it would be necessary, but she supposed if he was going to keep hanging around the club it was a good base to cover especially since it seemed Wendy wasn't the only one who found Tae attractive. "Anyway, were you dancing? Was it... fun?" She tilted her head, genuinely curious as to what he would say. She didn't think he would tell her he had the time of his life, but she wondered what he thought of it at least.
Suddenly, she felt an arm around her shoulder. Phoenix turned to see Wendy next to her, beaming at Tae. "Oh my god, Tae! Nice moves out there. I didn't think you had that in you!" With that, the other woman looked to Phoenix. "Hey, I might take another break later, so why don't you go for a bit? Maybe spend some time with your cousin?" She stood back from Phoenix and beamed, apparently proud of herself for sticking with the story, too.
"Sure, why not. I'll see you later then, Wendy." She was never one to turn down a break when the opportunity arose. And besides, she felt a little bad just leaving Tae to his own devices. He could probably learn how to blend in a bit better when he had some guidance and instruction from, well, an actual human. Giving Wendy a little wave, she made her way around the counter and stood next to Tae. Normally she liked to sit in the back or go for a smoke on her break, but with Tae here she felt compelled to find something interesting to do. Idly scratching the side of her neck, she scanned the crowd before looking to him again. "I usually just sit around on my break but maybe we should do something. We could go see Dan or if you felt like showing me this dancing everyone's talking about, that's an option too." Phoenix suddenly felt a little bit awkward trying to think of things to do. It had been a long time since she was in a club as a customer, so she wasn't sure how to lead Tae now that the opportunity was presented to her. Instead, she decided to just give him some options and see if he had any input. "We could just sit and talk if you want, or go outside like I normally would. Unless you had something you were curious about?"
While Tae was lost to the crowd, Phoenix kept at it. Shortly after he left to go off on his own, the crowd around the bar began to thin now that more patrons were liquored up enough to dance. Business would undoubtedly pick up again soon, so she took the small break to wipe down the counter and tidy up her workspace. While she cleaned, Wendy approached her and leaned against the countertop. "So, Tae's actually kinda cute, isn't he?" The redhead grinned. "I mean, for... you know. Anyway, I'm actually really surprised."
Phoenix looked up and raised an eyebrow at her coworker. "Look at you and your change of heart. You seemed terrified of him the other day." She gave the countertop another wipe before she rinsed out her cloth in the sink at the corner of the bar.
"Well, that was then and this is now!" Wendy giggled, following her to the sink. As Phoenix turned off the tap, the other bartender placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke quietly in her ear. "So I gotta ask you, does he look human in every way?"
The Chinese woman wrung out her cloth and stepped back from Wendy, a deep frown on her lips. "I don't know because I'm not a dirty pervert like you." Thanks to Tae unceremoniously changing his clothes in front of her yesterday, she had an educated guess, but she wasn't about to give her friend an excuse to keep talking about this subject. She placed the cloth on the side of the metal sink to dry. When she turned back to the other woman, there was a small smile on her lips. "You really need to get laid." It was not uncommon for Wendy to talk about her sex life among their work group so in turn, it was common for them to tease her about it as well.
"Then are you giving me permission to find out the answer myself? Ohh Taaaae, where are you, Tae?" Wendy stood on her tip-toes, scanning the crowd with a smirk.
Phoenix shook her head, laughing a little as she walked past her to straighten out some of the bottles on the back shelf. "Listen, why don't you take a break and try to find someone else to take home with you?"
Wendy fell back onto the heels of her feet and pursed her lips, considering this suggestion for a moment before she nodded. "That's actually a good idea. All right, I'll be back in a bit." She winked at Phoenix before she sauntered away from the bar and to the staff room, most likely to freshen up. She watched her go for a moment, shaking her head a little as she finished tidying the display of bottles that they stood in front of. Wendy was actually a very attractive woman, but she had gone through a messy divorce recently which left her a single mom with a school-aged child, which evidently made her love life a little bit complicated. Nevertheless, she was a good person and probably her favourite person to work with. Things were fun with her around, and more importantly, the night always seemed to go a little smoother with her at the other end of the bar.
Shortly after Wendy left, a handful of people came up with some orders. Phoenix went through each like clockwork, swiftly tending to one after the other. After sending the bulk of them on their way, she saw the older man from earlier tap a young, pretty girl on the shoulder just in front of the bar. She promptly began to dry some glasses, appearing to be preoccupied but glancing up now and then to watch him ultimately - and unsurprisingly - strike out. Some small part of her felt a bit sorry for him, but at a certain point it was truly just his own fault. He was completely out of his element in nearly every way possible, and the painful lack of self-awareness did not help his cause in the least. But then, any trace of pity Phoenix felt immediately evaporated as she saw him slowly making his way over towards the bar again. Swearing under her breath in Cantonese, she reached under the counter for a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Hey, could I get a security guard to the bar? We've been dealing with a guy all night but he's not taking the hint."
After a brief moment, she heard a short burst of static followed by Ross' voice. "Yeah, Phee, coming over to you."
Before she could thank him, the man had practically thrown himself onto the counter again. "Baby! It's you!" A few younger patrons standing next to him burst out laughing before they quickly moved away, chattering loudly about how much of a loser her was. The man was completely unaware to their mockery, however, and took a seat on the stool. He placed his elbows on the counter and cupped his hands around his cheeks, his chin resting in the nook formed by his palms. "How's your night? Change your mind about coming home with me? I can show you a real good time if you just gimme a chance..." Much to her relief, he was slurring his words a little bit more now - so perhaps they could just throw him out and say he was too drunk to stay in the club.
Folding her arms across her chest, Phoenix decided to pursue this line of reasoning. "Sir, you've had too much to drink. I'm afraid I can't serve you any more." Truthfully, he wasn't actually too intoxicated, but if he had given them so much trouble at mild levels of drunkenness, she had absolutely no interest in finding out what he was like after a few more drinks. "If you can't be respectful to the staff and other customers, we'll have to ask you to leave."
"Awww, come on. Where's your hot friend then?" He laid his arms down on the counter and looked around. "She looks like she's been around the block a few times, I'm sure she's up for some of me--"
"That's enough." She spat the two words out like venom, her eyes sharpened into a glare as she felt the heat of anger beginning to rise up her neck. If she had met this man on the street, she would have definitely given him a piece of her mind and then some. In fact, part of her wished that she could meet him outside the club just so that she could let loose and let out everything she had to bottle up for the sake of professionalism. Luckily, Ross came up to them just in time and laid a hand firmly on the man's shoulder. Phoenix took in a few deep breaths, forcing herself to quell her anger now that her coworker had stepped in to take care of things. "He's had too much to drink," she reported once she settled down a little.
"Wha-- I have not, she's lying-- I barely drank anything!"
Ross shook his head. "Come on, buddy. I've seen you - you've been harassing the staff and too many of the other customers. It's time to go home." He flapped his fingers upwards, motioning for the man to get up from his seat. But he made no sign of moving. "I don't want to force you, so let's just go nice and easy." And still, nothing. A small crowd had formed around the scene, mostly comprised of college kids watching behind their drinks. At the same time, another crowd had formed nearby on the dance floor, apparently around someone who was really tearing it up. But Phoenix's attention was focused squarely on the belligerent customer planted firmly in the stool in front of her.
"No! It's my right to be here, I paid cover and everything. I'm not done, I'm not going home yet. You can't make me!" His hands moved from the counter to the stool, where he seemed to be gripping onto the sides of the seat.
She saw Ross sigh before he took the man by the arm and pulled him up: first gently, then with a bit more force once the man was obviously not letting go. "All right, come on." The customer continued to resist, wiggling and thrashing like a tantrum-throwing child with an explicit vocabulary. But being much bigger and stronger, the bouncer was able to lead him towards the door with relative ease, although he had to dodge a couple of clumsy smacks and punches from the man. Phoenix watched as the pair disappeared out the door and breathed a sigh of relief. She was grateful for the security staff here, as well - while there were one or two of them that would have given the man one more chance, most were like Ross and had no tolerance for harassment. It made things much easier when she knew there were people that had her back and were interested in keeping both the customers and the team safe.
The crowd watching the scene began to disperse, but the one on the dance floor remained. Occasionally they would get someone who was really good at dancing go all out in the middle of the dance floor and get everyone else pumped, too. It was always hilarious trying to see everyone else trying to dance along, especially once people had gotten a bit drunk. Phoenix watched for a moment, welcoming the amusing distraction after the rather infuriating encounter. But the song soon came to an end, and people started to turn to their own clusters as the next one started. Nevertheless she was over her anger now, and resumed her duties making up and serving drinks. Surprisingly, there were a number of people who were much too intoxicated to serve and whom she had to turn away. It was a bit early in the night to see people so drunk, but she supposed that a number of them probably did pre-drinking before coming into the club as well.
After working through about half a dozen orders, Phoenix was surprised to see Tae sitting at the bar with a pretty cute looking girl. She couldn't help but grin as she glanced from her to Tae, who was naturally just looking at her with his blank robotic gaze. "All right, one mojito," she repeated as she got to work on making one up. Once it was ready she placed it in front of the girl and took the payment before moving onto the next person. However, even as she took other orders and made other drinks, she consciously eavesdropped on their conversation. She was extremely amused to hear that he had been actually dancing, but was terribly disappointed that she had missed the whole thing. While she couldn't catch every single word he said, she could tell that he was sticking to their story as they had agreed - although it was not that she expected anything different.
When she saw the girl taking out her PET, Phoenix began to feel sorry for her. She knew where their conversation was going and she was sure how it would ultimately end. But what she didn't expect was for Tae to give her such a matter-of-fact rejection. The girl's PET disappeared after a moment, leaving Phoenix fighting off a cringe while she handed over a drink to someone. Once the girl said her good-byes to her 'cousin', Phoenix served the last few people waiting at the bar before she walked over to Tae. The woman smiled at him, shaking her head a little as she placed a hand on the countertop and leaned onto it. "You heartbreaker, Tae." Then, quickly remembering that she couldn't simply joke around, she added, "Although, you did the right thing." After all, it wasn't like she would've wanted him to give her any information, or god forbid go home with her.
"If someone asks you for your info again, maybe you can just tell them you have a girlfriend. Or boyfriend, I guess." Phoenix shrugged a shoulder. She didn't think it would be necessary, but she supposed if he was going to keep hanging around the club it was a good base to cover especially since it seemed Wendy wasn't the only one who found Tae attractive. "Anyway, were you dancing? Was it... fun?" She tilted her head, genuinely curious as to what he would say. She didn't think he would tell her he had the time of his life, but she wondered what he thought of it at least.
Suddenly, she felt an arm around her shoulder. Phoenix turned to see Wendy next to her, beaming at Tae. "Oh my god, Tae! Nice moves out there. I didn't think you had that in you!" With that, the other woman looked to Phoenix. "Hey, I might take another break later, so why don't you go for a bit? Maybe spend some time with your cousin?" She stood back from Phoenix and beamed, apparently proud of herself for sticking with the story, too.
"Sure, why not. I'll see you later then, Wendy." She was never one to turn down a break when the opportunity arose. And besides, she felt a little bad just leaving Tae to his own devices. He could probably learn how to blend in a bit better when he had some guidance and instruction from, well, an actual human. Giving Wendy a little wave, she made her way around the counter and stood next to Tae. Normally she liked to sit in the back or go for a smoke on her break, but with Tae here she felt compelled to find something interesting to do. Idly scratching the side of her neck, she scanned the crowd before looking to him again. "I usually just sit around on my break but maybe we should do something. We could go see Dan or if you felt like showing me this dancing everyone's talking about, that's an option too." Phoenix suddenly felt a little bit awkward trying to think of things to do. It had been a long time since she was in a club as a customer, so she wasn't sure how to lead Tae now that the opportunity was presented to her. Instead, she decided to just give him some options and see if he had any input. "We could just sit and talk if you want, or go outside like I normally would. Unless you had something you were curious about?"
Viper
One Thousand Club
Tae, more like a twitch than anything, smiled back in response to Phoenix who smiled first. But naturally, it did not last long. Tae too leaned forward, once again not respecting personal bubbles as much as he should, but it was for the sake of talking quieter. “Her heart was fine as far as I could tell, typically people with heart conditions cannot dance as long as she did.” A moment, a pause to consider the true meaning of the seemingly foolish statement. “Ah, you mean I upset her…” Another second of silence as the robot tried to comprehend this new realization. “All I did was refuse to give over my information data… Do humans typically not like when that happens?” The question was an honest one, he really did not understand why being rejected would hurt someone's feelings especially after he explained the logic behind it. It's not like he did it out of animosity or vengeance, just safety for them both.
“But I’m glad you approve. And I will respond with reference to a relationship next time.” It’s not like he knew why using logic hurt Annie’s feelings, so Phoenix helping him spell it out for him was welcomed. It was the only way he would learn how to fit in more. “Thank you for your advice.” He would take it to his hypothetical heart.
“I was.” He agreed, his eyes turning towards the dance floor at the mention of the activity. Once again, this song did not have a set dance attached to it. At the question on if he enjoyed it, Tae’s face crinkled in confusion as he tried to come up with an answer. “As for enjoyment, I- I don’t know.” He started, more focused by the fact that he could not immediately say no. “I found it more productive and satisfactory than many other tasks I have done today. It reminds me of….” He trailed off here, not able to finish the sentence. Shaking his head, Tae continued, not thinking it worthwhile to travel down roads that led to dead ends. “Forget what I just said, it was illogical. I suppose the point I am trying to make is that since my order was to have fun, and I feel as if I completed my order, therefore I must find dancing fun in some form of the word.”
Tae had seen Wendy coming so when she slipped her arm around Phoenix he did not react until she spoke to him. His mouth curled up at the mention of his skill on the dance floor. Emotionless or not, getting praised for a job well done was the goal. “Thank you, Mis- I mean Wendy. Dancing comes rather naturally to me as long as I can find some choreography for it, it seems.” At the mention of Phoenix taking her break now, Tae impulsively stood up so that he could meet her as she exited from behind the counter. “Farewell for now then.” He said to Wendy as he did so.
“I will do whatever you wish to.” Tae answered immediately, but after further thought he made a request. “But, since you asked for my opinion, I will give it. We are not far from the site that you found me, correct? Perhaps we should go there so that we can look for information regarding the ones who disposed of me? I am under the understanding that finding my previous owner is a goal of yours, so that would be the best place to start doing that. I feel like I could find something there now that I am repaired.” There were in fact no other places to start, at least while keeping his identity secret still. They could post fliers or something not unlike people do for lost dogs, but as just mentioned, it was far from subtle. “It seems like the most productive use of our time although I will not fault you if you want to rest. Some humans find it difficult to be on their feet and moving for hours without end and I do not know if you share that problem.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Although Tae was giving Phoenix other options, in the end they found themselves exiting the club through the back and rounding a corner where the fateful dumpster was located. It was hard not to notice that this area, although there was a club just around the corner, was almost completely dark and deserted. Maybe it was because of the smell of the dumpster, but not even drunk and/or horny young adults wanted to hang out here. It was for the best though. The fact that someone tried to dispose of his body in this very alley and did not get caught was enough proof that it was too secluded.
There was one aspect that made it safer though. “A camera.” Tae suddenly said after silently looking over the general area. It stood out from the otherwise plain brick walls. “Does that belong to your club, the business that owns this building, or is it the property of the city? Is it the only one in this district?” He posed these questions out loud even as he sought for an answer himself. “This camera is wireless, but due to it’s model it’s safe to say that it is short range. Meaning that the security footage is inside of this building. And based on the fact that this building would bother to put a camera here, the footage, assuming it is not deleted already, will be password protected.”
"Give me a moment, I should be able to connect to the camera files." It was strange for a creature made out of metal and bolts, but as if by instinct, Tae approached the wall the camera was mounted on. He placed a hand on the wall for a moment before his eyes flashed blue and sustained the glow. Although it did not look like he was doing anything, just staring at a wall with electric eyes, in reality Tae was linking himself to and then hacking through any security barriers between him and the footage. With modern technology, even before PETs became household names, nearly everything went wireless. It made it easier for random PETs or technology to get connected but in response to that, security passwords were more complex and viruses were more common than ever. People could make livings off of hacking from the comfort of their beds as long as they had equipment with a large range. But Tae did not think on these things, he simply connected himself to the computer within and his programming took care of the rest. He did not need to activate it, the second he hit the first password prompt the process started, set up as a chain of some kind that would go through it all without further input. He did however know which programs were activated, so even though he could not access some of them to fully analyze it, their names at least showed up when he looked at his history. The one that stood out the most was a locked file simply called, “OWL.pick”.
Eventually, the blue eyes went away and Tae turned back to Phoenix. “Finished. Would you like to review the footage now or should I download it to watch later?” Tae asked this question without thought about what he just did. He did not think of the legal ramifications of doing this, nor did the fact that hacking into businesses was a moral conflict as well. As Tae was slowly becoming known for, if it had to do with getting the job done, he would do just about anything without hesitation. The idea of asking for permission did not cross his mind when it came to completing a task.
It didn't help that he had programs and abilities that he did not consciously realize.… Hacking into other peoples PETs or computers was turning out to be one of them. But if the skills helped him complete his purposes, then why not use them? Tae may have loved to have logic and reasons for actions but when it came to his masters decisions, past or present, he would trust their judgment over national law.
“But I’m glad you approve. And I will respond with reference to a relationship next time.” It’s not like he knew why using logic hurt Annie’s feelings, so Phoenix helping him spell it out for him was welcomed. It was the only way he would learn how to fit in more. “Thank you for your advice.” He would take it to his hypothetical heart.
“I was.” He agreed, his eyes turning towards the dance floor at the mention of the activity. Once again, this song did not have a set dance attached to it. At the question on if he enjoyed it, Tae’s face crinkled in confusion as he tried to come up with an answer. “As for enjoyment, I- I don’t know.” He started, more focused by the fact that he could not immediately say no. “I found it more productive and satisfactory than many other tasks I have done today. It reminds me of….” He trailed off here, not able to finish the sentence. Shaking his head, Tae continued, not thinking it worthwhile to travel down roads that led to dead ends. “Forget what I just said, it was illogical. I suppose the point I am trying to make is that since my order was to have fun, and I feel as if I completed my order, therefore I must find dancing fun in some form of the word.”
Tae had seen Wendy coming so when she slipped her arm around Phoenix he did not react until she spoke to him. His mouth curled up at the mention of his skill on the dance floor. Emotionless or not, getting praised for a job well done was the goal. “Thank you, Mis- I mean Wendy. Dancing comes rather naturally to me as long as I can find some choreography for it, it seems.” At the mention of Phoenix taking her break now, Tae impulsively stood up so that he could meet her as she exited from behind the counter. “Farewell for now then.” He said to Wendy as he did so.
“I will do whatever you wish to.” Tae answered immediately, but after further thought he made a request. “But, since you asked for my opinion, I will give it. We are not far from the site that you found me, correct? Perhaps we should go there so that we can look for information regarding the ones who disposed of me? I am under the understanding that finding my previous owner is a goal of yours, so that would be the best place to start doing that. I feel like I could find something there now that I am repaired.” There were in fact no other places to start, at least while keeping his identity secret still. They could post fliers or something not unlike people do for lost dogs, but as just mentioned, it was far from subtle. “It seems like the most productive use of our time although I will not fault you if you want to rest. Some humans find it difficult to be on their feet and moving for hours without end and I do not know if you share that problem.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Although Tae was giving Phoenix other options, in the end they found themselves exiting the club through the back and rounding a corner where the fateful dumpster was located. It was hard not to notice that this area, although there was a club just around the corner, was almost completely dark and deserted. Maybe it was because of the smell of the dumpster, but not even drunk and/or horny young adults wanted to hang out here. It was for the best though. The fact that someone tried to dispose of his body in this very alley and did not get caught was enough proof that it was too secluded.
There was one aspect that made it safer though. “A camera.” Tae suddenly said after silently looking over the general area. It stood out from the otherwise plain brick walls. “Does that belong to your club, the business that owns this building, or is it the property of the city? Is it the only one in this district?” He posed these questions out loud even as he sought for an answer himself. “This camera is wireless, but due to it’s model it’s safe to say that it is short range. Meaning that the security footage is inside of this building. And based on the fact that this building would bother to put a camera here, the footage, assuming it is not deleted already, will be password protected.”
"Give me a moment, I should be able to connect to the camera files." It was strange for a creature made out of metal and bolts, but as if by instinct, Tae approached the wall the camera was mounted on. He placed a hand on the wall for a moment before his eyes flashed blue and sustained the glow. Although it did not look like he was doing anything, just staring at a wall with electric eyes, in reality Tae was linking himself to and then hacking through any security barriers between him and the footage. With modern technology, even before PETs became household names, nearly everything went wireless. It made it easier for random PETs or technology to get connected but in response to that, security passwords were more complex and viruses were more common than ever. People could make livings off of hacking from the comfort of their beds as long as they had equipment with a large range. But Tae did not think on these things, he simply connected himself to the computer within and his programming took care of the rest. He did not need to activate it, the second he hit the first password prompt the process started, set up as a chain of some kind that would go through it all without further input. He did however know which programs were activated, so even though he could not access some of them to fully analyze it, their names at least showed up when he looked at his history. The one that stood out the most was a locked file simply called, “OWL.pick”.
Eventually, the blue eyes went away and Tae turned back to Phoenix. “Finished. Would you like to review the footage now or should I download it to watch later?” Tae asked this question without thought about what he just did. He did not think of the legal ramifications of doing this, nor did the fact that hacking into businesses was a moral conflict as well. As Tae was slowly becoming known for, if it had to do with getting the job done, he would do just about anything without hesitation. The idea of asking for permission did not cross his mind when it came to completing a task.
It didn't help that he had programs and abilities that he did not consciously realize.… Hacking into other peoples PETs or computers was turning out to be one of them. But if the skills helped him complete his purposes, then why not use them? Tae may have loved to have logic and reasons for actions but when it came to his masters decisions, past or present, he would trust their judgment over national law.
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
Interestingly, Tae picked up on the meaning behind her idiom with ease. But when he asked her about the reasoning behind the girl's disappointment, it was her turn to pause and think. "It's disappointing for people, but everyone has the right to say no to things they don't want to do." Humans did, anyway. "The problem was more about how you said it. You were a bit of a jerk." Phoenix couldn't help but chuckle a little when she realized how he had rejected her. "People usually respond better when you don't lecture them about crime rates or tell them they're acting foolish." Obviously she didn't expect Tae to have known these things beforehand, but if she wanted him to try masquerading as a human, she had to help correct his mistakes, too.
When he thanked her, she grinned a little wider. "Good. Hopefully you won't need to break any more hearts. But I'm sure you can apply that knowledge to other situations." As the topic shifted to whether or not Tae had fun, Phoenix found herself slowly nodding. The answer did not come as easily as the rest of his words usually did, but he was able to respond after a bit of what seemed like hesitation. Naturally, she was even more curious when he mentioned that it reminded him of something, but the woman decided to let the matter go for the time being. Perhaps she would mention it a little later, or if he said something similar again. So, deciding the subject needed no more discussion, she concluded it simply. "All right then. I'm glad you did."
The issue of what to do on her break came up, Tae first agreed to do whatever she wanted - unsurprisingly. However, he went on to suggest that they check out the back alley where they had found him just a couple of days ago. "That's actually a great idea." Phoenix arched her brows and nodded a little, somewhat impressed by the suggestion. The thought hadn't actually occurred to her at all. When he iterated that he had no problem if she wanted to rest, she shook her head. "No, I'm good - let's go outside and see."
With their plans decided, the pair made their way out the back door and into the alleyway behind Velvet Crush. Phoenix had made a quick pitstop at the staff room, where she took out a single cigarette and a lighter. Once the fresh, mildly cool air hit her, she took in a deep breath. The inside of the club got stuffy very quickly, so stepping outside was always a relief - even if there was the stench of garbage emanating from nearby. After a moment of enjoying the fresh air, she promptly and rather paradoxically placed the cigarette in her mouth and lit it up. Phoenix wasn't a heavy smoker - she only had one or two a day - but she knew it was a nasty habit nevertheless.
Taking in a drag, she watched as Tae observed the area and found the security camera. "Hm? Oh shit, I completely forgot." Phoenix craned her neck to look at the device, a bit bewildered by the fact she hadn't even thought about it. In her defense, she rarely concerned herself with the goings-on within the club that didn't directly involve her. Still, it seemed so obvious that she should have thought about it. As Tae posed a number of questions, she searched in her brain for the answers. "This one should be ours. I think one of the buildings down the way has one installed too, but I don't know of any others." Tapping out some ash from her cigarette, she thought for a moment and added, "One of the security guys might be able to access it, but I'm not sure."
Then, as if on cue, Tae informed her that he would likely be able to connect to it. "Or that's fine too," she laughed, bringing her cigarette to her lips again. Silently, the woman watched as Tae walked up to the wall and placed a hand on the brick. Her gaze remained steady on him, curiously observing as he... did nothing. Physically, of course - Phoenix assumed he was working away at hacking their camera, which was of no real concern to her. As far as she was aware, no one really concerned themselves with the security footage unless they needed to.
After watching him for a few moments, Phoenix turned around and looked up at the sky. Dark grey clouds were peppered throughout, with a handful of stars shining in the spots that were clear. A few bright, blinking lights traveled in and out of view through the wisps, some of them satellites continuing their orbit and others planes that left thin trails of clouds of their own. Aside from Tae hacking their security camera, she realized she was doing what she normally did on her breaks: smoke and look up at the sky in the otherwise deserted alleyway.
Once Tae announced that he had finished, though, she her typical break activities came to an end. "Let's look at it now." Phoenix turned to face Tae again, but took a moment to look back and forth towards either end of the alleyway. The area was pitch black as usual, save for a super dim light just above the door where they had exited, but occasionally you could see the faint outline of someone as they approached. Phoenix saw nothing in either direction, and heard no footsteps either - only the sound of a distant drunken conversation between two men further down the way, most likely at the entrance by the street. Once she was confident that no one would be coming around to watch with them, she looked to Tae and nodded. "I think it's safe to play it now. Can you maybe keep the volume down a bit, though?"
When he thanked her, she grinned a little wider. "Good. Hopefully you won't need to break any more hearts. But I'm sure you can apply that knowledge to other situations." As the topic shifted to whether or not Tae had fun, Phoenix found herself slowly nodding. The answer did not come as easily as the rest of his words usually did, but he was able to respond after a bit of what seemed like hesitation. Naturally, she was even more curious when he mentioned that it reminded him of something, but the woman decided to let the matter go for the time being. Perhaps she would mention it a little later, or if he said something similar again. So, deciding the subject needed no more discussion, she concluded it simply. "All right then. I'm glad you did."
The issue of what to do on her break came up, Tae first agreed to do whatever she wanted - unsurprisingly. However, he went on to suggest that they check out the back alley where they had found him just a couple of days ago. "That's actually a great idea." Phoenix arched her brows and nodded a little, somewhat impressed by the suggestion. The thought hadn't actually occurred to her at all. When he iterated that he had no problem if she wanted to rest, she shook her head. "No, I'm good - let's go outside and see."
With their plans decided, the pair made their way out the back door and into the alleyway behind Velvet Crush. Phoenix had made a quick pitstop at the staff room, where she took out a single cigarette and a lighter. Once the fresh, mildly cool air hit her, she took in a deep breath. The inside of the club got stuffy very quickly, so stepping outside was always a relief - even if there was the stench of garbage emanating from nearby. After a moment of enjoying the fresh air, she promptly and rather paradoxically placed the cigarette in her mouth and lit it up. Phoenix wasn't a heavy smoker - she only had one or two a day - but she knew it was a nasty habit nevertheless.
Taking in a drag, she watched as Tae observed the area and found the security camera. "Hm? Oh shit, I completely forgot." Phoenix craned her neck to look at the device, a bit bewildered by the fact she hadn't even thought about it. In her defense, she rarely concerned herself with the goings-on within the club that didn't directly involve her. Still, it seemed so obvious that she should have thought about it. As Tae posed a number of questions, she searched in her brain for the answers. "This one should be ours. I think one of the buildings down the way has one installed too, but I don't know of any others." Tapping out some ash from her cigarette, she thought for a moment and added, "One of the security guys might be able to access it, but I'm not sure."
Then, as if on cue, Tae informed her that he would likely be able to connect to it. "Or that's fine too," she laughed, bringing her cigarette to her lips again. Silently, the woman watched as Tae walked up to the wall and placed a hand on the brick. Her gaze remained steady on him, curiously observing as he... did nothing. Physically, of course - Phoenix assumed he was working away at hacking their camera, which was of no real concern to her. As far as she was aware, no one really concerned themselves with the security footage unless they needed to.
After watching him for a few moments, Phoenix turned around and looked up at the sky. Dark grey clouds were peppered throughout, with a handful of stars shining in the spots that were clear. A few bright, blinking lights traveled in and out of view through the wisps, some of them satellites continuing their orbit and others planes that left thin trails of clouds of their own. Aside from Tae hacking their security camera, she realized she was doing what she normally did on her breaks: smoke and look up at the sky in the otherwise deserted alleyway.
Once Tae announced that he had finished, though, she her typical break activities came to an end. "Let's look at it now." Phoenix turned to face Tae again, but took a moment to look back and forth towards either end of the alleyway. The area was pitch black as usual, save for a super dim light just above the door where they had exited, but occasionally you could see the faint outline of someone as they approached. Phoenix saw nothing in either direction, and heard no footsteps either - only the sound of a distant drunken conversation between two men further down the way, most likely at the entrance by the street. Once she was confident that no one would be coming around to watch with them, she looked to Tae and nodded. "I think it's safe to play it now. Can you maybe keep the volume down a bit, though?"
Viper
One Thousand Club
Knowing that this was the clubs security camera, if Tae had been concerned about the legal aspect of it at least, would have been a relief, but Tae had already established that he did not care or think about the law. Why should he? His kind were only tools to be used by humans, officially they were unable of breaking laws because they were not real and only followed their programming. The humans who owned the tools were the ones at risk, and yet Tae still did not seem concerned about the law, it is as if he thought the law did not apply to her either. It was a large oversight on his part. On another note, now that he knew there was another camera nearby, he fully intended to download that footage too. After that, walking around would be the only way to possibly find more cameras. And he wanted to find more cameras.
Tae nodded, blinking once in order to activate the projection function within his eyes. The hologram hovered in the air between the pair, glowing just enough that their faces were now illuminated by the blue light. There was a lot of footage from throughout the week, so Tae quickly began to fast forward through them until he reached the night that he was found. It’s not like he knew how long he was there before hand but it was safe to say that he had not been there long since the incinerator never got a chance to burn him even once.
During that night there were multiple times that people passed through the alleyway, but a handful of others hovered. One pair were likely exchanging drugs of some kind, they certainly looked suspicious at least, while a few hours before a group of teens passed through, running and pounding on anything that they could break. Likely if they checked the dumpster, Phoenix would find a new and significantly sized dent on the side now.
“There.” Tae suddenly said, when he witness a group of four men turned the corner, carrying a familiar figure in their arms. Since it had only been a short time, Tae was far from surprised when he once again saw his broken and beaten figure, but it was strange to see him performing actions that he had no memory of. Based on how he was being carried, he had a perfect view of his attackers and should have been able to remember perfectly the faces of those men, and yet they were strangers to the Tae that was watching the footage now. Most of their faces were hidden, but besides the voice of the talkative one and the face of some man who looked angry every time he faced the camera, the rest had kept their heads down, hidden within the nights shadows.
It was impossible to hear every word the thugs said, but a few phrases and sentences stood out. “... a freaking robot! Damn, I mean, if the fucker who hired us didn't say to hit him at the base of his neck first who knows what this thing would be doing to us right now!” The talkative one said first, followed by more whispers that could not be made out, “....If he finds out that this thing is missing he is going to send one of his other guards after us and we won’t be able to get the jump on them like we did this one..." Another bout of silence, before the talkative ones voice raised once again, "The guy's dead and we don’t get killed by robots. Win win for everyone!”
The others in the group seemed to understand what whispering was, which was the main reason why no one else could be heard, however they clearly were communicating since they all started to take apart Tae’s mainframe as a team. There was one thing that could be made out, just barely, “...we will give these chips to the employer as proof of his death. Now throw him in the dumpster and let's go get our money.” And sure enough, Tae and Phoenix got to watch the men lift Tae into the dumpster and pocket Tae’s insides and run off, not walk, but run. Were they in a rush to be somewhere or get away from something?
Tae was able to watch getting discovered by Phoenix and her group too. The only reason he played that footage again was to see if something happened after. A few hours after Tae had been taken away a few figures ran through the alley but did not stay long enough to talk or even to unblur their faces. They just flashed through, probably joggers or something, likely unrelated.
“And that is all the footage there is for that day.” Tae was putting the important parts on loop as he said this, starting from the moment the strangers entered to the moment that they fled. He was looking for something helpful, maybe logos on their clothing or maybe they dropped something, but it was fruitless. “Can you read their mouths? I’m afraid I do not have that skill… I may be able to find out who that man is, but I would need to get closer to a database that may have that information registered. It's harder to find a person based on face rather than ID numbers or names."
“Even if they produces results this was....this was not very helpful.” Tae concluded, narrowing his eyes a touch and accidentally making the hologram flicker for a moment before he widened them once again. “We know that they were hired to attack me now, but they never said the name of their employer, who they were, or who the man they took me from is. The fact that they knew where my weak spot is means something, I suppose, but that is not new information.” Perhaps because he hated failing, but Tae actually seemed a touch annoyed that they did not actually get any helpful, immediate clues. His tone was too short and word choice far too dynamic to imply that he was uncaring in this matter. “This is useless to us.”
Tae nodded, blinking once in order to activate the projection function within his eyes. The hologram hovered in the air between the pair, glowing just enough that their faces were now illuminated by the blue light. There was a lot of footage from throughout the week, so Tae quickly began to fast forward through them until he reached the night that he was found. It’s not like he knew how long he was there before hand but it was safe to say that he had not been there long since the incinerator never got a chance to burn him even once.
During that night there were multiple times that people passed through the alleyway, but a handful of others hovered. One pair were likely exchanging drugs of some kind, they certainly looked suspicious at least, while a few hours before a group of teens passed through, running and pounding on anything that they could break. Likely if they checked the dumpster, Phoenix would find a new and significantly sized dent on the side now.
“There.” Tae suddenly said, when he witness a group of four men turned the corner, carrying a familiar figure in their arms. Since it had only been a short time, Tae was far from surprised when he once again saw his broken and beaten figure, but it was strange to see him performing actions that he had no memory of. Based on how he was being carried, he had a perfect view of his attackers and should have been able to remember perfectly the faces of those men, and yet they were strangers to the Tae that was watching the footage now. Most of their faces were hidden, but besides the voice of the talkative one and the face of some man who looked angry every time he faced the camera, the rest had kept their heads down, hidden within the nights shadows.
It was impossible to hear every word the thugs said, but a few phrases and sentences stood out. “... a freaking robot! Damn, I mean, if the fucker who hired us didn't say to hit him at the base of his neck first who knows what this thing would be doing to us right now!” The talkative one said first, followed by more whispers that could not be made out, “....If he finds out that this thing is missing he is going to send one of his other guards after us and we won’t be able to get the jump on them like we did this one..." Another bout of silence, before the talkative ones voice raised once again, "The guy's dead and we don’t get killed by robots. Win win for everyone!”
The others in the group seemed to understand what whispering was, which was the main reason why no one else could be heard, however they clearly were communicating since they all started to take apart Tae’s mainframe as a team. There was one thing that could be made out, just barely, “...we will give these chips to the employer as proof of his death. Now throw him in the dumpster and let's go get our money.” And sure enough, Tae and Phoenix got to watch the men lift Tae into the dumpster and pocket Tae’s insides and run off, not walk, but run. Were they in a rush to be somewhere or get away from something?
Tae was able to watch getting discovered by Phoenix and her group too. The only reason he played that footage again was to see if something happened after. A few hours after Tae had been taken away a few figures ran through the alley but did not stay long enough to talk or even to unblur their faces. They just flashed through, probably joggers or something, likely unrelated.
“And that is all the footage there is for that day.” Tae was putting the important parts on loop as he said this, starting from the moment the strangers entered to the moment that they fled. He was looking for something helpful, maybe logos on their clothing or maybe they dropped something, but it was fruitless. “Can you read their mouths? I’m afraid I do not have that skill… I may be able to find out who that man is, but I would need to get closer to a database that may have that information registered. It's harder to find a person based on face rather than ID numbers or names."
“Even if they produces results this was....this was not very helpful.” Tae concluded, narrowing his eyes a touch and accidentally making the hologram flicker for a moment before he widened them once again. “We know that they were hired to attack me now, but they never said the name of their employer, who they were, or who the man they took me from is. The fact that they knew where my weak spot is means something, I suppose, but that is not new information.” Perhaps because he hated failing, but Tae actually seemed a touch annoyed that they did not actually get any helpful, immediate clues. His tone was too short and word choice far too dynamic to imply that he was uncaring in this matter. “This is useless to us.”
fleurdelys
⚜⚜⚜
[ tiny warning: swearing/derogatory language/mild violence in this post ]
As the hologram appeared in the air, Phoenix folded her arms across her chest and watched wordlessly as the security footage appeared. The images flickered quickly before her eyes once Tae put it in fast forward and the events captured began playing back at a high speed. Eventually the date she had found Tae appeared on the footage, which brought her mind into focus. Straightening up, she placed a hand on her hip and peered more closely at the video. Her brows slowly came together as she watched the apparent drug deal, but she did not react further. The boss wouldn't have liked to know that had happened so close to their property, but she was sure it couldn't have been that uncommon.
Her expression eased for a moment as the pair passed, being replaced by a group of rowdy, destructive teens instead. Not an uncommon event in their alley, either. Finally, four men came into the camera's view. "Here we go." Phoenix took a step towards the hologram, squinting as she attempted to make out any details of their faces. Unfortunately, all but one seemed to do a good job of keeping themselves well concealed. Nevertheless, she continued to give her full attention as fragments of their conversation were played back to them.
As the men began to speak, Phoenix could hear someone mumbling and stumbling down the alleyway towards them, while the drunken conversation from earlier had ceased. From the sound of it, they still had a ways to go, but she hoped they were not anyone who would give them any trouble. Putting that concern aside temporarily, she focused her attention on the video again. Much to her dismay, there wasn't anything particularly telling in their conversation. There wasn't much they could see on the footage either: just a couple of men, most of them unidentifiable, fussing over Tae before chucking him into the dumpster and running off with his parts.
Once they were off screen, Phoenix took a step back and bit her lip, thinking about the audio she had just heard while she watched herself and her coworkers appear. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing significant that happened after they had all left the premises either. When Tae informed her that was all the footage from the day, she sighed quietly. It definitely wasn't a lot to go on, was it?
Tae inquired as to whether she knew how to read mouths, prompting her to laugh shortly and shake her head. "I've got a few talents but that's not one of them. And I don't think I know anyone who does." She wasn't sure if she knew anyone who had access to any kind of database, either, let alone let them illegally access it.
When the robot announced his deductions and concluded that the footage was useless, she couldn't help but agree. "It didn't give much to go on at all..." Phoenix mumbled, but she was still running the audio over in her head, trying to squeeze out some other obscure clue. Sadly, the only things she could come up with didn't provide any concrete leads. "Well, I mean - they had to be told to hit you on the back of the neck, meaning that whoever hired them knows a lot about you. They did also say your real master was going to send one of his other guards after them. So that probably means you were - or are - one, too? And there are others like you. I wonder if your master knows who would have targeted you, if these men were worried they'd have robots sent after them."
It was possible that she was overanalyzing, but the possibility had to be considered. After sharing her own inferences, the woman's gaze drifted to Tae's face where she met his blue eyes. "It sounds like you're a force to be reckoned with off the dance floor, too." She couldn't help but smile a little. Picturing Tae - who was tearing it up inside the club less than an hour ago - as a deadly killing machine was almost comical. But it did make sense. Having guards that looked incredibly human but had the strength of a machine was an obviously good idea. "Joking aside, whoever you belong to is stinking rich and important, too, if they have a team of robot guards." This wasn't exactly new information to her, and Tae probably realized this as well, but it seemed appropriate to mention anyway. After all, it was the only thing even close to a lead that they really had to go on.
By this time, the drunk making their way through the alley was finally close enough to emerge through the darkness. Phoenix glanced over to see what kind of person it was, and immediately cringed.
The man from the bar shuffled past them, his clothes much more disheveled than they had been inside the club. He seemed much more intoxicated, or maybe high. Either way, he didn't look to be in a good place and Phoenix was not interested in having to deal with him any more. She quickly turned back to Tae, angling herself so that she man wouldn't be able to see her face as he passed by. However, she did all this a split second too late. Just as she looked away, she heard him angrily shout at her. "Hey! It's you!" Phoenix scrunched her nose and squeezed her eyes shut, cursing in her head. She breathed in deeply and let out a heavy sigh as she heard him walk towards them both. Deciding it was time to finally give this asshole a piece of her mind, the woman turned around and placed a hand on her hip. She glared at the former customer as he clumsily made his way towards them. If it was a stronger, younger man she would have gone immediately back inside. But Phoenix didn't fear this sad, pathetic idiot in the least.
"Can't get enough of me, can you," she said flatly, but her words were immediately overwhelmed by his slurred, furious shouting.
"You stupid bitch! You're so fucking stupid, getting me kick-- kicked out like that." He stopped and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "All you had to do was give me your goddamn number and nothing would've gone wrong!" The man sputtered, saliva flying from his mouth as he cursed. "Why you gotta be such a stuck-up slut, huh? Huh? You think you're too fucking good for me, or what? I'm a nice guy, you know! I'm a fucking gentleman, but all you whores are too busy chasing Chads to give me a chance." He slapped a hand to his chest and took an unsteady step forward, his other hand clenching into a fist at his side.
"Oh, please!" Phoenix laughed. "Are you fucking kidding me? Do you know how many times I've heard that self-pitying shit from losers like you?" All the pent-up anger from before came bubbling back to the surface and burst out of her mouth, like lava from a volcano. "It's always the same - 'boo hoo, I'm so nice to all women, I can't take no for an answer and I have no self-awareness, but it's them who are the problem! Why don't they appreciate my disgusting pick up lines? Why won't they have sex with me, I said please and called them baby and everything!'" She took a small step forward herself, as if daring the man to try something with her.
As expected, her words did not sit well with the man. "Shut up, shut the fuck up! You stupid chink, you should be lucky I was even interested in you! Or your fat, ugly cow of a friend." Redness bloomed on his skin all the way from his neck to his ears. "I could've had any girl in there if it weren't for you ungrateful whores making fun of me all night! Look, perfect example: you said no to me, but you're out here instead with this dick!" He pointed at Tae this time. "I bet you were just about to get on your knees and blow him like the fucking slut you are!"
She snorted. This wasn't the first angry, sexually-frustrated rant she had heard and Phoenix was sure it wouldn't be the last. "You know, if you have bad luck with all women, you need to look at the common denominator: you. News flash, asshole: if you think calling people whores for saying no to you is okay, you're not actually a nice guy."
This was apparently the last straw, as the man suddenly charge forward and pushed Phoenix, hurling more profanities and slurs at her. She stumbled, attempting to catch herself, but she tripped on her heels and landed on her rear end with a grunt. Enraged and intoxicated enough to apparently ignore Tae, he took a few clumsy but quick paces towards her and pushed her down onto her back. Quickly, she made to sit back up but was stopped by the weight of the man straddling her over her hips, with his knees on her arms. He placed a hand firmly on her chest, holding her down. "Since you don't know how to shut up, I'm gonna make you," he growled, pulling back his fist and aiming it at her face.
As the hologram appeared in the air, Phoenix folded her arms across her chest and watched wordlessly as the security footage appeared. The images flickered quickly before her eyes once Tae put it in fast forward and the events captured began playing back at a high speed. Eventually the date she had found Tae appeared on the footage, which brought her mind into focus. Straightening up, she placed a hand on her hip and peered more closely at the video. Her brows slowly came together as she watched the apparent drug deal, but she did not react further. The boss wouldn't have liked to know that had happened so close to their property, but she was sure it couldn't have been that uncommon.
Her expression eased for a moment as the pair passed, being replaced by a group of rowdy, destructive teens instead. Not an uncommon event in their alley, either. Finally, four men came into the camera's view. "Here we go." Phoenix took a step towards the hologram, squinting as she attempted to make out any details of their faces. Unfortunately, all but one seemed to do a good job of keeping themselves well concealed. Nevertheless, she continued to give her full attention as fragments of their conversation were played back to them.
As the men began to speak, Phoenix could hear someone mumbling and stumbling down the alleyway towards them, while the drunken conversation from earlier had ceased. From the sound of it, they still had a ways to go, but she hoped they were not anyone who would give them any trouble. Putting that concern aside temporarily, she focused her attention on the video again. Much to her dismay, there wasn't anything particularly telling in their conversation. There wasn't much they could see on the footage either: just a couple of men, most of them unidentifiable, fussing over Tae before chucking him into the dumpster and running off with his parts.
Once they were off screen, Phoenix took a step back and bit her lip, thinking about the audio she had just heard while she watched herself and her coworkers appear. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing significant that happened after they had all left the premises either. When Tae informed her that was all the footage from the day, she sighed quietly. It definitely wasn't a lot to go on, was it?
Tae inquired as to whether she knew how to read mouths, prompting her to laugh shortly and shake her head. "I've got a few talents but that's not one of them. And I don't think I know anyone who does." She wasn't sure if she knew anyone who had access to any kind of database, either, let alone let them illegally access it.
When the robot announced his deductions and concluded that the footage was useless, she couldn't help but agree. "It didn't give much to go on at all..." Phoenix mumbled, but she was still running the audio over in her head, trying to squeeze out some other obscure clue. Sadly, the only things she could come up with didn't provide any concrete leads. "Well, I mean - they had to be told to hit you on the back of the neck, meaning that whoever hired them knows a lot about you. They did also say your real master was going to send one of his other guards after them. So that probably means you were - or are - one, too? And there are others like you. I wonder if your master knows who would have targeted you, if these men were worried they'd have robots sent after them."
It was possible that she was overanalyzing, but the possibility had to be considered. After sharing her own inferences, the woman's gaze drifted to Tae's face where she met his blue eyes. "It sounds like you're a force to be reckoned with off the dance floor, too." She couldn't help but smile a little. Picturing Tae - who was tearing it up inside the club less than an hour ago - as a deadly killing machine was almost comical. But it did make sense. Having guards that looked incredibly human but had the strength of a machine was an obviously good idea. "Joking aside, whoever you belong to is stinking rich and important, too, if they have a team of robot guards." This wasn't exactly new information to her, and Tae probably realized this as well, but it seemed appropriate to mention anyway. After all, it was the only thing even close to a lead that they really had to go on.
By this time, the drunk making their way through the alley was finally close enough to emerge through the darkness. Phoenix glanced over to see what kind of person it was, and immediately cringed.
The man from the bar shuffled past them, his clothes much more disheveled than they had been inside the club. He seemed much more intoxicated, or maybe high. Either way, he didn't look to be in a good place and Phoenix was not interested in having to deal with him any more. She quickly turned back to Tae, angling herself so that she man wouldn't be able to see her face as he passed by. However, she did all this a split second too late. Just as she looked away, she heard him angrily shout at her. "Hey! It's you!" Phoenix scrunched her nose and squeezed her eyes shut, cursing in her head. She breathed in deeply and let out a heavy sigh as she heard him walk towards them both. Deciding it was time to finally give this asshole a piece of her mind, the woman turned around and placed a hand on her hip. She glared at the former customer as he clumsily made his way towards them. If it was a stronger, younger man she would have gone immediately back inside. But Phoenix didn't fear this sad, pathetic idiot in the least.
"Can't get enough of me, can you," she said flatly, but her words were immediately overwhelmed by his slurred, furious shouting.
"You stupid bitch! You're so fucking stupid, getting me kick-- kicked out like that." He stopped and pointed an accusatory finger at her. "All you had to do was give me your goddamn number and nothing would've gone wrong!" The man sputtered, saliva flying from his mouth as he cursed. "Why you gotta be such a stuck-up slut, huh? Huh? You think you're too fucking good for me, or what? I'm a nice guy, you know! I'm a fucking gentleman, but all you whores are too busy chasing Chads to give me a chance." He slapped a hand to his chest and took an unsteady step forward, his other hand clenching into a fist at his side.
"Oh, please!" Phoenix laughed. "Are you fucking kidding me? Do you know how many times I've heard that self-pitying shit from losers like you?" All the pent-up anger from before came bubbling back to the surface and burst out of her mouth, like lava from a volcano. "It's always the same - 'boo hoo, I'm so nice to all women, I can't take no for an answer and I have no self-awareness, but it's them who are the problem! Why don't they appreciate my disgusting pick up lines? Why won't they have sex with me, I said please and called them baby and everything!'" She took a small step forward herself, as if daring the man to try something with her.
As expected, her words did not sit well with the man. "Shut up, shut the fuck up! You stupid chink, you should be lucky I was even interested in you! Or your fat, ugly cow of a friend." Redness bloomed on his skin all the way from his neck to his ears. "I could've had any girl in there if it weren't for you ungrateful whores making fun of me all night! Look, perfect example: you said no to me, but you're out here instead with this dick!" He pointed at Tae this time. "I bet you were just about to get on your knees and blow him like the fucking slut you are!"
She snorted. This wasn't the first angry, sexually-frustrated rant she had heard and Phoenix was sure it wouldn't be the last. "You know, if you have bad luck with all women, you need to look at the common denominator: you. News flash, asshole: if you think calling people whores for saying no to you is okay, you're not actually a nice guy."
This was apparently the last straw, as the man suddenly charge forward and pushed Phoenix, hurling more profanities and slurs at her. She stumbled, attempting to catch herself, but she tripped on her heels and landed on her rear end with a grunt. Enraged and intoxicated enough to apparently ignore Tae, he took a few clumsy but quick paces towards her and pushed her down onto her back. Quickly, she made to sit back up but was stopped by the weight of the man straddling her over her hips, with his knees on her arms. He placed a hand firmly on her chest, holding her down. "Since you don't know how to shut up, I'm gonna make you," he growled, pulling back his fist and aiming it at her face.
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